Facebook is testing the idea of a ‘mid-roll’ ad format, which will give video publishers the opportunity to insert ads into the middle of their clips, Recode has been told by sources.

The ads will play after people have watched a video for at least 20 seconds, but the whole video must last at least 90 seconds. This means publishers must make videos that keep users’ attention, otherwise there will be no money for them to make.

The test will see Facebook giving publishers 55 per cent of ad revenue – the same proportion as YouTube offers – but this could change depending on how successful the trial is. Currently, video publishers see very little ad revenue due to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s refusal to run ‘pre-roll’ – before the clip – video ads.

This is not the first time that Facebook has tested mid-roll video ads. Back in August 2016, the social network began trialling mid-roll video ads within its Live video streams. These ads appeared five minutes into a live broadcast and each lasted 15 seconds.