• by Wayne Friedman , June 20, 2017

Fox Networks Group said it will be the first broadcast TV company to commit to a six-second advertising format on YouTube. Formats will also be used on its linear TV platforms.

The announcement was made with YouTube at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The companies say the commercials are non-skippable video ads, which will also be used first across Fox Network Group’s digital, on-demand platforms and later on linear television.

Fox and YouTube say the six-second format strikes a balance between brand lift and “optimal user experience." Fox will be creating the ads internally and billing them by viewable impression as determined by Moat, an analytics company.

“One of our biggest priorities at Fox Networks Group is figuring out the best way for a brand to reach a consumer that captures the right kind of attention and serves its precise KPIs,” stated David Levy, EVP, nonlinear revenue at Fox Networks Group.

Fox also says it is working on all platforms to reduce ad loads. It says the new ad format complements advanced ad products, including its network consortium effort to standardize new audience segments with Open AP, as well as UP//LIFT, which looks to improve key performance indicators highest results for brands.

YouTube says a pilot for the six-second effort was started last fall.