Twitter is now offering 30-second, skippable pre-roll ads
The longer ads also come with a skip option after six seconds so as to limit the potential fallout from haters of pre-roll video. They are shown ahead of videos that media partners post as part of the over two-year-old Amplify program, in which ad revenue is split between the content creators and Twitter.
A number of Amplify partners confirmed that the longer ad options and skip button officially launched this week. Twitter declined to comment for the story.
This could give a jolt to Twitter’s Amplify ad program. Requiring advertisers to create six second ads is a hurdle. All TV advertisers have 30-second spots. Adding in the skip button, popularized by YouTube, is a good way of finding a middle ground. YouTube, however, does not charge advertisers for skipped ads. Twitter charges for ads seen for three seconds.
“Look at the the available online advertising inventory, there’s a lot more 15-second and 30-second spots available,”said Gareth Capon, CEO of Grabyo, a social video advertising platform. “This allows Twitter to scale up more quickly.”
It also means the ads will be less “native” to the fast-twitch platform, however. When Twitter started Amplify in 2013, it made a point of stressing that requiring short ads would fit better in the user experience.
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