Facebook Inc will begin selling video ads later this week and plans to make an announcement on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The ads will play automatically in users' news feeds and may help Facebook capture a share of the $66.4 billion that advertisers are expected to spend on US television this year, the Journal said.

One of the first ads to be played will be a short tease made specifically for Facebook for Lions Gate Entertainment Corp's upcoming film "Divergent," according to the newspaper.

Facebook could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside of regular US business hours.