The four-week test is to see how the video ads play with consumers who watch Google Video on its third-party publisher network. Ad revenues from those video views would be split between the
record label, Google and the publisher. The test with Warner and BMG follows tests conducted earlier for music videos from Viacom's MTV Networks. During the tests, advertisers have been billed on a
CPM (cost-per-thousand) basis.
AdSense publishers have to participate in the Google Video program to be included. Partners will soon be given the option of posting video from content providers like MTV and the record labels instead of Google AdWords. With Warner Music, they select a "channel" to display, such as "rock music," and a video will run in the AdWords section of their site. It's really content placed in a section devoted to advertising displaying both advertising and content. Kind of confusing, and it remains to be seen if consumers tolerate random videos playing in the corner of a site where they didn't go to watch video.