Spotify will soon be showing video-based advertising to listeners of its free service. The streaming music company has revealed it will start airing the videos to its free users shortly, with both desktop and mobile app users set to see the clips, though marketers will have a few options for how their advertizing efforts get utilized by the service. The first is Video Takeover, a spot which shows a 15 or 30-second video overlaying the center of the desktop, reports The Next Web. These run similar to advertising “breaks” currently used on the service between tracks, with the unskippable video able to be minimized so that the user can continue to use the rest of the app. 
A similar alternative is the Sponsored Session, for both the desktop and mobile apps. Users will see a title card advising that they will receive 30 minutes of advertising-free Spotify usage if they watch a video. A second branded title card will appear, confirming the ad-free time. The video advertising will potentially help Spotify in multiple ways. Aside from increased revenues through video as opposed to audio and image-based advertising, the new videos could help push some of the 30 million free users over to the monthly subscription service. 
