HTC has worked out a way for brands to be able to tell whether you’ve looked at a VR ad

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HTC announced a new platform on Tuesday that will allow brands to know whether or not a user has looked at an ad when they are using one of its virtual reality (VR) headsets.

With the VR Ad Service, advertisers only pay for an ad after a user has seen it.

The service is strictly opt-in, meaning that ads will only show up in content where developers have decided to include them.

On its website, HTC writes: "Ads that appear in immersive VR environments can not only provide more effective impressions, they can also track whether the users have viewed them or have turned away their gaze."

Some of the ad formats HTC announced include loading scene banners, 2D and 3D in-app placements, and app recommendation banners.

The website touts the benefits of eye-tracking for advertisers, saying it gives advertisers true viewability data and enables "precise re-targeting." Viewability is a top concern for advertisers when it comes to their digital ad spend as they want to ensure their ads actually had the possibility of being seen by a human.

HTC's Vive, which costs $799, is one of the leading virtual reality headsets that runs from a computer.

Alongside the launch of the advertising service, HTC Vive also announced it would be the exclusive virtual reality content distributor for the sci-fi movie "Ready Player One."

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