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Unless you consider “Watch Episodes of Your Favorite TV Shows Now. Fast & Easy!” to be ‘content,’ Google AdSense is making a bold move, according to today’s New York Times. In a deal with Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, Google AdSense will be distributing McFarlane’s latest project, the Internet-only animated series, “Seth MacFarlane”s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy”:
Google will syndicate the program using its AdSense advertising system to thousands of Web sites that are predetermined to be gathering spots for Mr. MacFarlane’s target audience, typically young men. Instead of placing a static ad on a Web page, Google will place a “Cavalcade” video clip.
The up-to-two–minute clips will also incorporate advertising, through preroll ads, a sponsor for the clip or an accompanying banner ad. McFarlane will receive a portion of the advertising proceeds.
McFarlane says he turned to the Internet to escape the regulation of the FCC, or the “taste police” as he called them. The Times reports that he reenvisioned the series based on Google’s data about Web video viewing (where might they have gotten a little of that data? Hm….).
Google has already begun experimenting with some content in AdSense, including a deal with the Washington Post to distribute WaPo’s real estate listings.
This appears to be an extension of the Google video ads first spotted live in the SERPs in March. Three months later, Google is beginning to incorporate video advertising into their AdSense program.
What do you think? Would you welcome a video ad in your AdSense slots? Or should publishers be given the opportunity to opt out? (Okay, that one’s a bit of a duh.)
