Click-to-play video ads are user-initiated and can be targeted to specific sites or contextually. Both targeting models support a geographical targeting overlay, up to the city level. Pricing for click-to-play video ads can be either cost-per-impression or cost-per-click. Video ads compete in the ad auction with other text, image and flash ads for placement on a site.

All that an advertiser has to do is upload a video file up to two minutes long and the rest is taken care of by Google. Click-to-play video ads will automatically appear on sites within the Google content network that allow image ads. Users who want to view the ads press "play" on the control bar at the bottom of the window to start the video.

Advertisers will be able to measure the effectiveness of their video ads by tracking video play-back rates, click-through rates to their destination site, as well as how long users interact with the video.

There are no hosting or serving fees, making such video ads accessible to both large and small advertisers and providing brand advertisers with a richer and more engaging format to communicate their messages.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, has placed commercials for DVDs of American Dad and The Simple Life on several websites.

According to Duncan Plexico, Fox's executive director for digital marketing "Google lets advertisers pick the sites where their ads will appear. Some are extremely small but popular with the young male demographic the studio is seeking. They're not only giving us the niche sites, but now we've got a rich media ad that breaks through the clutter better."