?Increasingly, [Facebook] is a solid alternative [to YouTube] ? for certain types of content,? said Richard Broughton, research director at Ampere Analysis.

?As a consequence, mobile users are still unable to use Facebook for a number of video genres/types ? but as the experiments Facebook has been conducting with content creators have indicated, this is likely to change.?

More than 85 percent of Facebook?s users are now mobile, with short-form content a favorite for mobile consumption. 

While 50 percent of YouTube?s video views are derived from mobile devices, given the nature of social network usage, Mr. Broughton said that he would expect the ratio to be even higher for Facebook.

Ampere expects Facebook to reach two-thirds of YouTube?s video views this year. 

While most content providers have used Facebook for branding and awareness purposes, trial revenue-sharing collaborations with NFL and Fox Sports would elevate it to a serious challenger to YouTube?s dominance.

Ampere also believes that Facebook will move to add some pre-roll ads on its video assets, a move it has so far resisted in favor of post-roll video ads. In comparison, YouTube and many online video service providers prefer pre- and mid-roll ads. 

?A more active move from Facebook into remunerating content owners raises the possibility of an alternative option for some marketers ? developing more active earned media strategies on Facebook through the active curation of additional content assets,? Mr. Broughton said. ?Rather than have to direct users offsite to monetize, marketers with content assets could potentially look to use the platform directly to generate revenue ? however this is entirely contingent on how and when Facebook makes the move into a partner program.?

One potential benefit that Facebook provides over YouTube is that its video views are served to logged-in users, meaning it can access significantly greater volumes of personalized user data. 

While YouTube charges advertisers only when an ad can been consumed while Facebook charges once three seconds of the video have been delivered, Ampere?s research reveals that costs to advertisers are closely aligned. This suggests that Facebook?s inventory is more valued by advertisers. 

YouTube is addressing the growing competition by encouraging key content create to sign exclusive deals, according to Ampere. 

YouTube also continues to innovate, recently introducing interactive within-video-ad shopping functionality in May, which has already attracted some brands. 

Reports also suggest that Facebook has a seen a significant jump in the number of users posting videos straight into the channel, something it only recently started enabling users to do. 

?Right now, the fundamental difference I see for video on these platforms is a push vs. pull mentality,? said Ashley Eckel?, senior director of marketing at Innovid. 

?YouTube has the advantage of search and discover?allowing users to find content they want to consumer,? she said. ?Whereas Facebook content has typically been user or in-feed driven based on known interests, likes or friends. 

?In this way it can very much be plausible alternative, but marketers will need to think carefully about how the content is crafted and ensure alignment with their current Facebook and mobile strategies.?