# What's going on with these Facebook videos?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-these-facebook-videos/836034>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 25, 2019, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-these-facebook-videos/836034 "2019-06-25T14:19:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-these-facebook-videos/836034/1 "2019-06-25T14:19:11Z")

</div>

Sometime within the last year or two, YouTube and Facebook videos started getting interrupted in the middle for advertisements. Bad, but comprehensible; they have to make money somehow. But within the past few weeks I noticed a new phenomenon. During the pause, instead of an ad, they’d show a completely unrelated video clip for a few seconds that makes absolutely no sense, like it’s a fragment from an ad that forgets to mention what it’s selling, and then it goes back to the main video.

I have one attached [here](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1212167378961377). I could only see the interrupting video fragment the first time I watched it, so it might not show up. This is in the middle of a video about household hacks (which apparently don’t work well or at all, according to the comments). The weird music in the main video is similar, but not identical ,to the music in the nonsensical interruption about 15 seconds in.

Sometimes I see these weird placeholder video fragments in music or comedy videos. Is there a name or purpose for these? I assumed they were just mistakes, but they turn up a lot. What are these things?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-these-facebook-videos/836034/2 "2019-06-25T15:01:04Z")

</div>

I just watched the video you linked to, and it was indeed interrupted by a brief (five seconds) commercial. However, it was a complete commercial for Bic lighters, albeit an exceptionally brief one.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-these-facebook-videos/836034/3 "2019-06-25T15:05:55Z")

</div>

It might be related to me being in Korea (with a VPN). I get some ads and some placeholder videos.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-these-facebook-videos/836034/4 "2019-06-25T15:28:00Z")

</div>

It looks as if it is country-specific. Here in the UK, I can watch it with no ads or interruptions.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-these-facebook-videos/836034/5 "2019-06-25T16:08:51Z")

</div>

I’m not sure I got the same video. I get a video called “Food Scrap Hacks” with no comments. Also no ad/interruption.