Facebooks native, in-feed auto-playing video ads have proved hugely popular with both marketers and users, and lucrative for the social network to boot. Now, the firm has announced that it is expanding the format to other apps within the Facebook Audience Network.

The ad unit will be usable by publishers showing Audience Network ads in order to monetise their app, and according to Facebook the native ad unit sees performance seven times better than their traditional banner ads. Native ads already account for 80 per cent of impressions in the Audience Network, but bringing the auto-playing video across to the channel will no doubt increase adoption.

Facebook is also enabling Audience Network publishers to make use of unique interstitial formats including dynamic product ads that retarget shoppers and multi-image carousel ads, both of which have proved highly successful for advertisers on Facebooks own apps.

“We have a deep understanding of what formats perform well and drive engagement in Facebook News Feed and are taking two of our best performing units and making them available off Facebook to further empower Audience Network publishers and help drive results for advertisers,” said Erika Washburn, software engineer at Facebook.