Overlaying video with adverts might just be the future of internet marketing - as well as finally generating some revenue for YouTube.

Google has struggled to make money from its acquisition for some time, so it may be interested in new research from ITV.

The broadcaster conducted a study of 1,200 people which involved new overlay advertising appearing on its ITV Local website.

According to the organisation, just nine per cent complained that the overlay detracted from their viewing pleasure.

ITV's future technology department has also been working with a Keystream, a Californian company, to create an automatically-placed overlay advertising platform for online marketing with video.

Trials of the technology show that it has a click-through rate of roughly five per cent - five times that of pre-roll adverts.

"Initial results are very encouraging and show a much higher click-through rate than pre-roll and we have extended the trial to national brands to test this further," said ITV Local's director of content Lindsay Charlton.

So is ITV's research accurate and overlay advertising in video is the future of internet marketing?

Online Marketing specialists Business Feet help create value from business websites