YouTube Video Content Syndication via AdSense

There’s lots of discussion about Google’s new video content distribution via its AdSense network. Some of it is misinformed. Here’s the deal:

This is YouTube video content syndication (not video ad distribution) through the AdSense network. Videos will be monetized with two types of ads (drawing from the existing AdSense pool): those “on top” of the player (see below) and a text overlay that appears 10 seconds into the stream. This is analogous to what Google is doing on YouTube but these are not new ad units with separate creative. The text ads on/in the videos will be contextually relevant to the videos and the sites. (Overlay ads can be turned off.)

Publishers/site owners have choices about what video shows up. They can let Google scan their sites and determine what to show, they can choose a particular “channel” or a participating video content producer.

This is a separate unit from existing AdSense units and can be combined with the others.

Google has said that video syndication via AdSense is the first type of content distribution the company intends to do. Others in the future may include, articles, audio/podcasts, games, etc. — all TBD.

What’s clever about this program is that it provides:

1. Targeted distribution for video off YouTube’s site for content producers (“long tail” for video)
2. Monetization for YouTube video off site. In other words, Google gets to make money off the streams (albeit with a rev share) w/o further compromising the YouTube user experience.

Google doesn’t have to build a network of content syndication partners, as Brightcove or others do and are seeking to do, it simply leverages its existing distribution (AdSense publishers). Of course, these units have to be affirmatively added by publishers but it’s a “built-in” network. This is the power of Google’s scale and reach in action.

Here’s an example ad (featuring both types of ads):

Another interesting element of this program is that you could put your own video content on YouTube and then select that video to be published on your site with AdSense ads.

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Here’s more explanatory video from the Google AdSense blog.