Facebook Splits Its In-Stream, “Mid-Roll” Ads Into New Category For Brand Partners

Fresh of the launch of its new Watch tab, which offers a selection of premium, long-form programs, Facebook is making sure its advertising opinions can match the evolving needs of its brand partners. Its “In-Stream” video ads, which are tied to long-form content, are now being sold as a standalone package, according to Variety.

Variety‘s report cites Kate Orseth, the product marketing manager for media monetization at Facebook, who explained that breaking In-Stream ads into their own category will “let agencies and brands drive the most value from their spending.” She explained that Facebook now has a large enough library of mid- and long-form videos that it can give brands and agencies the option to buy placements specifically for those formats. Partners are allowed to target individual demographic groups as part of their In-Stream campaigns, but Facebook isn’t letting them match up with specific pieces of content. It is offering a “brand safety” measure that lets advertisers blacklist any violent or hateful videos they don’t want to align with.

Facebook announced its plan for In-Stream ads back in January and tested them in February. Concurrently, it has solicited lengthier videos from partners like ATTN, NowThis, and Tastemade in order to create more opportunities for mid-roll placements. For a video to qualify for Facebook’s In-Stream format, it must be at least 90 seconds long.

With its ad offerings updated, Facebook can more easily convince advertisers to move some of their TV budgets to lineup of splashy new shows. Check out those programs when they arrive in the near future and you’ll get a chance to witness Facebook’s new ad format, too.