YouTube to Introduce 30-Second Unskippable Ads and Pause Ads on Connected TVs
YouTube users watching content on their TVs without a paid subscription will soon encounter more frustration as the platform plans to introduce 30-second unskippable ads. The announcement was made during the YouTube Brandcast event, revealing that these ads will be added to top-performing content viewed on connected TVs.
Instead of two consecutive 15-second ads, viewers will now see a single 30-second ad. However, this doesn't imply the complete elimination of shorter ads. The availability of 30-second ads will be through YouTube Select, an advertising platform targeting the top five percent of YouTube content. With 70 percent of YouTube Select impressions originating from TVs, it becomes an ideal platform for longer ad formats.
During the Brandcast event, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan highlighted the increasing trend of viewers watching YouTube on their home's largest screens. Mohan stated, "Viewers — especially younger viewers — no longer make a distinction between the kind of content they're watching."
In addition to the unskippable ads, YouTube also unveiled its plans to test pause ads on connected TVs. Similar to Hulu's pause ad feature, YouTube's implementation, known as "pause experiences," will display ads in the form of a banner around the video. Users can remove these ads by selecting the "dismiss" button.
No specific timeline has been provided for the rollout of either the 30-second unskippable ads or the pause ads. Further details regarding the implementation are yet to be disclosed by YouTube.
These recent announcements come on the heels of YouTube's efforts to combat ad blockers on its platform. Last week, the company revealed that it is experimenting with pop-up messages informing users that "Ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube," and encouraging them to subscribe to YouTube Premium for an ad-free viewing experience.
