Facebook is to begin playing video advertisements on a users timelines, according to The Wall Street Journal. The new type of advertisements will be announced on Tuesday and will begin rolling out on Thursday.

Users won't need to click on the advertisements, which can be up to 15 seconds, when scrolling down their timeline. They will automatically begin playing, whether the user likes it or not.

Lions Gate's new film Divergent will reportedly be one of the first video advertisements to appear on Facebook, with several other companies following as they look to capitalise on the Christmas shopping season.

Now it's a public company, Facebook's move is seen as a way to increase advertising revenue. Facebook's third quarter 2013 revenue from advertising was $1.80 billion, a 66 per cent increase from the same quarter last year. Facebook is hoping to take those numbers even further.

Earlier in December, Facebook began testing auto-playing videos from users who uploaded the content, ahead of the advertisement rollout. Videos automatically play on desktop and mobile, reaching every user Facebook possibly can - ideal for advertisements.

The move to increase Facebook advertising revenue follows Instagram rolling out advertisements. They blend right into an Instagram user's timeline and look like a posting from some the person is following.

Instagram advertisements have been met with a negative response from users who don't like their photo stream interrupted.

Update: Facebook said in a statement that tests will begin on Thursday. Audio will not play on advertisements unless the video is clicked on.