Facebook officially launches 15-second 'premium video ads'

Introduction with limited partners follows December trial with Divergent movie trailer.

Facebook has officially begun rolling out 'premium video ads' with 'a select group of advertisers,' which is similar to the limited marketing partnership approach Instagram has taken.

The ads have been rumoured for a long time, but one of the more thorough reports said the company would charge $2.5 million for each of the 15-second clips.

The social network debuted its first video ad in December as part of a trial, introducing the Divergent movie trailer starring Kate Winslet to some users' new feeds on mobile and desktop.

Just as some videos already do, the ads will automatically play without sound and stop if users scroll past, while tapping the video will launch the ad in full-screen with sound.

Facebook has partnered with TV advertising analytics company Ace Metrix to ensure the creative in each ad is engaging – that means watchable, meaningful and emotional to ensure the best possible ROI.

Susan Buckner, product marketing manager at Facebook, said: "Premium Video Ads are designed for advertisers who want to reach a large audience with high-quality sight, sound and motion. People can expect to begin seeing these new ads over the next few months.

"Premium Video Ads are bought and measured in a way that’s similar to how advertisers already buy and measure ads on TV. The ads are bought based on Targeted Gross Rating Points to reach a specific audience over a short period of time.

"Delivery is measured by an independent third party, Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings (OCR), and advertisers only pay based on what Nielsen OCR measures." (mobile-ent)