• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, March 24, 2016

Facebook will now recognize third-party mediation platforms once they have been vetted for integration with its Audience Network.

Members of its new Native Partner Program will have to meet pre-determined requirements to make sure they can be properly synchronized with Facebook’s partner publishers.

“Since the Audience Network supports a variety of unique native formats, finding a compatible mediation partner is crucial to a publisher's success,” a Facebook spokesman said on Thursday.

Initial members of the program include Fyber, MoPub and Opera Mediaworks.

Keeping the native ads flowing is critical Facebook’s ad strategy. Indeed, more than 83% of all impressions on its Audience Network are presently delivered in native formats, according to internal data. On average, Facebook finds that native ads are performing up to 700% better than standard banner formats.

Along with enlarging its Audience Network to include support for the mobile Web, Facebook added support for native formats, in late January. 

Among other sources of strength, Facebook seems to be finding traction with its Audience Network. In fact, the company’s ad network achieved an annual run rate of $1 billion in revenue, last year.

Jumping on the ad network bandwagon, Facebook first launched the Facebook Audience Network, or FAN, in mid-2014. With FAN, the social giant offered its publishing and mobile app developer partners the promise of targeting registered Facebook users wherever they go.

Since then, Facebook has expanded further into audience buying with the acquisition of LiveRail -- a video advertising supply-side platform (SSP). LiveRail helps publishers serve better video ads, while ensuring that marketers find quality placement for their ads.

Publisher publishers include Hearst, Elite Daily, USA Today Sports Media Group, Time Inc. and Answers.com.