I popped over to YouTube and there it was: a commercial for Warner Brother's movie Beerfest. That ad was followed by a front page video ad featuring Paris Hilton, in which the celebrity directly addresses the YouTube community and plugs "Paris," her debut album released under Warner Brothers Records. Additionally, a special Paris Hilton channel on the site is sponsored by the Fox series "Prison Break."

The adpocalypse is upon us.

YouTube is rolling out a new ad platform that offers two main features -- brand channels, where companies can create their own programming, and what YouTube is calling "participatory video ads," some of which direct users to the new brand channels.

YouTube CEO Chad Hurley said the new video ad units can serve to guide users to sponsored clips and brand channels. The upper-right-hand corner unit, he said, "gives advertisers visibility in our system without disrupting the user experience."

The brand channel component of YouTube's ad platform allows advertisers further flexibility, said Julie Supan, the company's director of marketing.

"Some of them want a channel that uses all the imagery of their brands, very branded--but we're seeing that a lot of big automotive and credit card companies want to do a more themed channel with things like promotions, contests to 'create our 30-second spot.'"

Oh, the inhumanity!!! Are you ready for the monetization of YouTube? Will you accept it like you did on broadcast television or will you stop tuning in and go somewhere else?