• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, August 3, 2016

Worldwide, revenue from mobile video will reach $25 billion by 2021, according to a recent Strategy Analytics report. As such, top platforms are anxious to turn this bonanza into bucks.  

Just this week, Facebook said it was testing a new format in which 15-second ad videos can be placed into Facebook Live streams.

Meanwhile, as part of its Cinema Loop service, Flipboard is adding support for vertical video ads.

The new ads take over users’ entire phone screen, and automatically play a 3- to 10-second clip as a gif-like animation.  

Nicole McCormack, head of ad strategy at Flipboard, said the time is right for new mobile video units.

“More and more video production is being filmed and edited for vertical viewing on mobile phones,” according to McCormack. “This optimized mobile video production allows for easier viewing and higher engagement with mobile viewers.

Even before the update, brands using Cinema Loop were already seeing 20% higher video completion rates and engagement rates two times higher than industry benchmarks for user-initiated video, by Flipboard’s calculations.

With the changes, of course, McCormack is predicting even more impressive performance numbers.

To promote the historical thriller “Anthropoid,” distribution company Bleecker Street is the first partner to launch a vertical video campaign on Flipboard.