Google launches YouTube ad scheme

Article ID : 59
Created on 2007-11-20 at 1:57 PM
Author : Rahul Bhanot [rahulbhanot@yahoo.com]

Google has introduced a unique way for blogs, news sites, and everything in between to earn extra money by simply entertaining their readers with videos from YouTube.

But the best feature about this is that unlike Adsense ads, users will be able to heavily influence the types of videos displayed on their site, allowing them to show quality (and relevant) videos instead of something random from half way round the world.

We’re excited about the launch of video units — a new way to enrich your site with quality, relevant video content in an embedded, customizable player. Simply embed a snippet of code and have relevant YouTube partner content streamed to your site. You can choose categories of video to target to your site, select content from individual YouTube partners, or have video automatically targeted to your site content. Companion and text overlay ads are relevant and non-intrusive. To further blend the YouTube player into your site, you can also customize the color scheme and layout as well as choose from three different player sizes.

Google has launched a advertising service for its partner network in the UK and Ireland that will allow targeted ads to run around YouTube videos.

The new offering, called Video Units, is the latest effort by Google in its bid to monetise YouTube video content. The new service is available to the thousands of websites that are signed up to Google's AdSense ad network.

Google AdSense partners in the UK and Ireland will now be able to run video content from YouTube partners such as broadcasters on their own websites. They will be able to make money from banner and text ads that run around YouTube video clips.

"This new programme is a cost effective way to distribute content online, creates a new revenue opportunity for publishers and content owners, and helps advertisers reach their target audiences in new and innovative ways," said David Thacker, the group product manager at Google.

Google AdSense partners can select video content in three ways - directly from a particular YouTube video partner brand, or from a category such as sport or motors, or by using a Google algorithm to generate relevant content. Relevant ads are then delivered around the video.

AdSense partners and YouTube video content partners each receive a share of the ad revenue from the text and banner ads that appear.

"It will allow AdSense publishers a unique way to enhance their sites with fresh, dynamic content," Mr Thacker added.

This move by Google will probably once again shake up the ad industry, not to mention give publishers and advertisers another reason to invest less money in Yahoo! (as well as Microsoft) and to stick with the search engine king from silicon valley.