And Now, a Word From YouTube's Sponsor(s)

As it struggles to turn a profit, YouTube will begin to show ads overlaid on some videos, the Times of London reports. The spots will consist of a semitransparent strip covering 20% of the screen appearing 20 seconds into the video.They'll appear only on content from 1,000 "partners," ranging from established organizations such as Warner Music to popular amateur producers.

The 15-second spots are the $1.65 billion Google property's latest attempt to take commercial advantage of the site's popularity. YouTube developed the strategy after a more traditional model—a commercial break within each video—suffered what a product manager called "a very high abandonment rate." (More advertising stories.)