Facebook has been testing auto-playing videos since September and on Tuesday the social network said it will be testing auto-playing video ads in the News Feed of some users this week. The latest move is an attempt by the company to take a slice of the multi-billion TV advertising industry and while brands and marketers are rejoicing, the move may out off many users.
The first Facebook video ad to be released on Thursday will be a teaser for "Divergent," an upcoming sci-fi movie directed by Neil Burger and distributed by Summit Entertainment.
The in-line video advertisements will play automatically on mute. Its sound will be activated if users tap or click the video or toggle full-screen mode. Facebook will also show two additional videos at the end of a video ad to push users to explore more content. The video will stop playing when a user scrolls through the feed.
"Compelling sight, sound and motion are often integral components of great marketing campaigns, particularly when brands want to increase awareness and attention over a short period of time. From launching new products to shifting brand sentiment, this video format is ideal for marketers who are looking to make a large-scale impact, and for people who will discover more great content in their News Feeds," the company explained through its Facebook for Business blog.
Pricing details are not yet available for the auto-playing video ads during the limited, initial test.
Meanwhile, consultancy firm Analytics Partners said a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on 735 Facebook users in November suggests that the video ads may alienate Facebook users.
"On the heels of beta testing for Facebook's automatically playing videos, of those surveyed 83% would find any kind of video that automatically plays in their newsfeeds to be intrusive and as such would likely ignore them. On the contrary, 17% felt that it could be enticing to watch video that plays automatically," Analytic Partners said.
Marketing experts admit that it is a great opportunity for Facebook but reaction of users may vary.
"While this is great for Facebook because it will create greater inventory for video ads, I am not sure it is the best thing for the end user. This is a significant change to the newsfeed user experience and any change like this is often met with a backlash," said Kipp Bodnar, vice president of marketing firm HubSpot based in Massachusets, in an interview.
Though users sentiment was down on Tuesday, shares of Facebook closed up 1.95 percent at $54.86 on the NASDAQ.
