"Today we started running a small test that will give users more control over how they watch advertising on YouTube. On a small percentage of videos to which we serve in-stream ads (pre-, mid-, and post-rolls), users will have the choice of watching either one Promoted Video at the outset or a few in-stream ads throughout. Users who choose the Promoted Video option will also get to decide which video to watch."
http://ytbizblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/free-to-choose.html
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BiVmDQWr9XA/SjaNIpcS-CI/AAAAAAAAAAM/5ls8SymB57E/s320/User+Choice+Screenshot.jpg |
Would you watch one ad now or 4 ads later? |
I would certainly watch one ad, well watch... with longer ads (30 sec.) I will do something else, checking e-mail etc. until the ad is fully played :-). |
Seems like it would waste a lot of time, collectively, at least, forcing a user to stop and choose. |
People come to YouTube for the videos, and if the ads become obtrusive people will jump ship to another service.
The only reasonable place for an ad on YouTube is post-roll. If you show ads pre-roll, you just irritate the user. |
>The only reasonable place for an ad on YouTube is post-roll. If you show ads pre-roll, you just irritate the user.
I think it depends on the category/type of video. People should have the expectation that better-produced/higher-quality content will need to generate somewhat more substantial revenue if the model is to be viable. I'm not sure how it works for other content providers, but at the Comedy Network's site in Canada they play at least one ad at the beginning of their shows (IIRC). I find this to be a decent arrangement and prefer it to some of the other forms of in-video advertising out there. |