Facebook set to serve video ads on third-party sites following acquisition

Facebook has announced this morning it is purchasing a seven-year-old digital video ad company called LiveRail.

The company’s technology is used to target video advertising, with its supply-side platform performing a similar function to the technology Google uses to serve advertising as part of its YouTube advertising network.

However, unlike YouTube, LiveRail’s ads are served on videos shown on the websites of third-party video publishers.

The company’s customers include a number of major media companies, including Major League Baseball, ABC Family, Conde Nast Digital, CBS Interactive, A&E Networks, Gannett, and Dailymotion.

In a statement Facebook’s vice president of ads product marketing, Brian Boland, says the move will help Facebook to serve more relevant, “interesting and engaging” ads to viewers.