Video ads are coming to Uber apps, the company has confirmed. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal (via engadget), the new ads will soon be added to both the Uber and Uber Eats apps. Video ads will also show up in Drizly. Which Uber owns.
The ads will be a part of the apps on both Android and iOS platforms. While ads are already available in all three apps, they’re only static ads. These new ads will play video clips. Uber says users will start to notice the new ads popping up in its apps as early as this week. That being said, this isn’t a global rollout just yet.
Video ads will be placed in Uber apps for users in the US only for now. So it’s likely Uber is using the US as a test bed for this change initially. The company says that it will roll out video ads to other markets later this year, including the UK, France, and Australia.
Video ads in Uber apps can play for up to 90 seconds
It’s not clear if all video ads will be the same length. But at least some will play for up to 90 seconds. Audio however will be disabled by default. Which is a good thing considering the ads can play while you’re in a ride to your destination.
Video ads can play at varying times and in different sections of the apps. For Uber, the ads will be shown while you’re waiting for your ride and while you’re in the ride. Uber Eats will play the ads after you place an order while you’re waiting for the food to arrive. For Drizly, the ads can play in the search results and various other parts of the app.
Additionally, ads will be placed on tablets that are installed in some Uber vehicles. Although Uber says that these will be available on a city-by-city basis. So don’t expect to see the tablets with these ads everywhere throughout the US.