It’s always an obsession, so here’s what Rebecca Paoletti, director of video strategy at Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO), said about ad pricing: “Right now there are some economic issues… we’re looking at a lot of flat budgets.” For video specifically, expect CPMs to be flat, before declining in 2009. Paoletti, who spoke at the BMO eMerging Media Forum, came to Yahoo in 2007 from Maven Networks, which was, of course, acquired by Yahoo in February.

—The Pork Bellies Question: There was some grumbling and maybe a little eye-rolling in the room, when an audience member asked whether the oft-repeated Wenda Harris Millard maxim about ads being sold like pork bellies applied to video. Paoletti deserves credit for actually trying to explain what the line meant before answering: “Do advertisers come online in video exactly as they do in TV?” (i.e. they want to associate their brand with a specific program). Or do they favor the wide-open ad network, preferring to get their connections with viewers anywhere. The answer: advertisers are doing both. Some advertisers want to be associated with a specific brand, while some appreciate the ad networks which have increased the accessibility of online video. Which route advertisers choose “depends on how the various brands perceive themselves.”

—Pre-roll: Even if you hate it, it’s not going away.

—Metrics: Another area of much debate, especially here, where there’s been lots of talk about metrics. Paoletti is optimistic: “This next year we are going to solve it”