Periscope Will Soon Have Video Ads

Ads have become a fact of Internet life, so it's not exactly surprising to hear that Twitter is planning on introducing such things even on its live streaming platform. Periscope, which at one point in the not so distant past, was the go to place for live streaming is in need of a new inflow of cash. But perhaps more interesting than the ads themselves is the way Twitter plans on giving advertisers some say on where their ads end up.

Although always a contentious topic, ads have recently become a thorny subject in light of recent events involving YouTube and Google. Some companies, including Verizon and AT&T have pulled out their ads, and their money, off Google's video streaming platform. The reason? Because some of those pre-roll ads ended up in videos with anti-Semitic and questionable content.

While Google is still busy putting out fires from this PR mess, Twitter is offering those brands a new home. Although perhaps not as widespread as YouTube, Periscope is still a popular live streaming platform. On top of that, Twitter is offering advertisers something Google so far hasn't: more control.

Twitter's solution to the can of worms that YouTube opened up is to let advertisers choose where their ads appear in the first place. It will present a selection of content publishers that it knows are more or less respectable and brands can choose among those instead of having their video pre-roll ads appear almost randomly on anyone's live stream.

Because of its popularity, YouTube doesn't really have complete control over what gets uploaded there. Even from well-known and "sponsored" publishers, like the now notorious PewDiePie.

SOURCE: Reuters