Facebook launches new Slideshow ad format

PanARMENIAN.Net - Facebook is on an aggressive push to gain users in emerging markets, and on Thursday, October 29, it began tackling a new task: making money from them, PCWorld reports.

Differences in cellular connection speeds and phones mean that posts, photos or ads loaded in a fraction of a second on 4G connections could take minutes to load for users in remote areas. It's an annoyance for users and a problem for Facebook as it tries to sell ads.

The company has already released a stripped down version of its app that loads faster, and now it's launching a new type of ad called a slideshow. While available on a standalone basis globally, Facebook envisages it replacing conventional video ads on slow connections and it gradually displays a series of images with text superimposed upon them.

Facebook says Slideshow ads require just one-fifth the bandwidth of a regular video ad.

The new ads, which Facebook has already tested with major brands such as Coca-Cola and Dettol, mirror under-the-hood changes that make all of Facebook more tolerable on slow connections.