Facebook in-stream ads are video ads that play during other people's videos on Facebook. Meta now runs them as the Facebook in-stream reels placement: your ad appears in video on demand from familiar publishers and digital-first creators, and in live streams from a select group of approved partners. They can show anywhere video plays in the Facebook app, including Feed and the Reels tab.
The detail most advertisers miss is the skip window. Non-skippable in-stream ads have a viewing period of up to 15 seconds before the viewer goes back to their video, while skippable ones have up to 5 seconds. Meta delivers both by default. If you only want non-skippable, you have to tick a box in Ads Manager to exclude skippable ads.
Where Facebook in-stream ads appear
Meta's placement guide lists Facebook in-stream reels under its own heading, In-stream ads for reels. According to Meta's help page, they can be shown:
- During videos from familiar publishers and digital-first creators who make content for Facebook audiences.
- In partner live streams from a select group of approved partners. Live streams from government and spiritual partners are automatically excluded.
Because they can appear wherever video plays in the Facebook app, including Facebook Feed, the Reels tab and the reels that open when someone taps a reel in Feed, your ad might show in a full-screen player or a feed-style player. Ads Manager's Ad preview shows you how it may look in each.
Meta also notes that from March 2026 the Facebook Feed placement includes the Facebook Friends tab.
Skippable vs non-skippable
| Type | Viewing period before the viewer returns to the video | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Non-skippable | Up to 15 seconds | Delivered by default; choose it alone by excluding skippable ads |
| Skippable | Up to 5 seconds | Delivered by default |
To run non-skippable only: choose your own placements in the ad set, then tick Exclude skippable ads in the ad set in the placements section in Ads Manager.
When the first ad plays
Meta says its delivery system tries to balance value for the publisher and the advertiser with a good experience for viewers, and that the first Facebook in-stream reels ad tends to be delivered after one minute into a video. In other words, your ad isn't usually the first thing someone sees. It interrupts a video they've already chosen to watch, which is why the first few seconds of your creative matter so much.
Brand suitability controls
Since your ad runs inside someone else's content, Meta gives you four controls for in-stream ads for reels:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Inventory filter | Controls the type of content your ad appears next to |
| Publisher block lists | Stops your ad running alongside specific publishers |
| Content type exclusions | Excludes certain kinds of content |
| Topic exclusions | Excludes content about specific topics |
If you're in a sensitive category, set the inventory filter before launch rather than after you've seen where the ads ran.
Creative tips from Meta's specs
- For 9:16 creative in Reels and Facebook in-stream reels, Meta says keep the top, bottom and side edges free of key creative elements, text and logos.
- In Ads Manager you can switch on the Safe zone guardrail to see the safe area as a yellow overlay on your creative.
- On screens taller than 9:16, Meta may zoom your creative to fill the screen, cropping outside the safe zone, or show it at 9:16 on a black background. Keep critical text well inside the safe zone so both cases look right.
Running in-stream video with Audience Network
Meta says you can select Meta Audience Network as a standalone platform with the Audience Network in-stream video placement using the engagement objective, or with the Facebook in-stream video placement without Facebook Feed. For video views, Meta points you to the awareness objective, or engagement with On your ad as the conversion location and Video views as the engagement type.
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In-stream ads from the creator side
This page is about buying in-stream ads. If you're a creator wondering how ads in your own videos turn into payouts, that sits in Facebook's monetisation programmes, which I've broken down in Facebook Reels monetisation by the numbers.
My advice
Use in-stream ads when you want video views from people who are already watching video, and make the first five seconds count, because that's all a skippable viewer has to see before they can leave. Start with both skippable and non-skippable, compare results by placement, and only lock it to non-skippable if the numbers say so. If you're still learning Ads Manager, my Facebook ads guide for business owners is the place to start.
Frequently asked questions
What are Facebook in-stream ads?
They're video ads that play during other people's videos on Facebook. Meta now runs them as the Facebook in-stream reels placement, in video on demand and in approved partner live streams.
Can viewers skip Facebook in-stream ads?
Some can. Skippable in-stream ads have a viewing period of up to 5 seconds, while non-skippable ones run up to 15 seconds before the viewer returns to the video.
How do I run only non-skippable in-stream ads?
Choose your placements manually, then tick Exclude skippable ads in the ad set in the placements section of Ads Manager.
When does the first in-stream ad appear in a video?
Meta says the first Facebook in-stream reels ad tends to be delivered after one minute into a video.
Can I control which videos my in-stream ads appear in?
Yes. Meta offers an inventory filter, publisher block lists, content type exclusions and topic exclusions for in-stream ads for reels.
