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Facebook Tests Real-Time Ads For Live Videos

Facebook has bet the farm on Facebook Live, its live-streaming video capability. And many marketers are taking notice and using it quite successfully.

Going a step further, Facebook is now testing the use of real-time ads for Facebook Live. The ads can be used to promote live broadcasts and drive viewership. Smart idea. Of course Facebook is looking monetize wherever possible. And judging by the number of sponsored posts on RTBlog’s Instagram, a unit of Facebook, it's not having a problem attracting advertisers. The ads on Instagram, a visually forward medium, are quite disruptive. For Facebook Live, perhaps they’ll be less so.

Currently, marketers and publishers promote their content on Facebook Live via sponsored posts prior to broadcasts or after the live video has ended. The plan is for new ads to appear in newsfeeds at the same time as the live stream. This would offer an opportunity for viewers to engage in real time.

In addition to the real-time promotion function that’s being tested, Facebook Live also launched scheduled live streams last month that enable marketers and publishers to promote forthcoming broadcasts.

The testing of real-time ads on Facebook Live is an interesting idea, and we’ll have to keep an eye how the ads are received.

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