Google is introducing a new ad format that lets marketers run YouTube live streams in display ads.
Live stream ads can appear anywhere Google’s display ads are shown. So a person could be scrolling through a website, such as this one, and see a live stream playing right where an ad would be.
People can expand the video to full screen and interact with the live stream just as they could on YouTube.
Here’s an example of what a live stream ad looks like:
Live streaming on YouTube is free, so advertisers will only have to pay for the ad unit itself.
The new live stream ad format is currently in a limited beta. There’s no further information available about how Google plans to charge advertisers for these ads.
One of my initial thoughts was whether viewing time would be a factor in the cost.
For example – would an advertiser be charged the same if a person only watched a few minutes of a live stream as opposed to watching the whole thing?
I presume we’ll learn more when the ad format rolls out more widely.
Other Google Advertising News
In related news, Google introduced another display ad format today that allows users to interact with 3D objects.
The new ad format, called Swirl, lets advertisers showcase products from all angles.
A car manufacturer could take an existing 3D model of a car and use it in a Google display ad. Then, those who view the ad could rotate the car as well as zoom in and out of it.
For more information about the Swirl ad format see our coverage here.
