Facebook has “scored a big partner as it ramps up its online video ambitions,” with the NFL last Tuesday “posting short video clips on the social networking service,” according to Mike Shields of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Sources said that the clips “could include game highlights,” as well as “NFL news and fantasy football advice.” The clips “will be immediately followed by ads from Verizon Wireless, which will “pay to promote them within NFL fans’ Facebook news feeds.” Facebook and the NFL “will share the ad revenue, though the specific financial terms weren’t available.” Facebook “plans to bring in other partners down the road.” The partnership is “the latest sign that Facebook is getting more aggressive as it tries to become a major player in Web video and figure out ways to capture more ad dollars.” The Facebook arrangement is “similar to a deal the NFL struck with Twitter last year.” A Facebook spokesperson said, “This is a small video sponsorship test, and we will be evaluating how people, publishers, and marketers respond to this kind of co-branded video content on Facebook” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/24).
