No one likes getting interrupted, especially if that interruption has you physically counting down the seconds until you can resume your regularly scheduled programming. We’re all familiar with the dreaded long or un-skippable YouTube ad, and let’s face it, whether it’s pre, mid, or post video, it can disrupt the flow of your content binging.Some have turned to ad-blockers, which YouTube subsequently began cracking down on, some toYouTube Premium to rid the adsall together, and some just grit their teeth and tough out those 15–30 unbearable seconds.
Romana Pawar, the Director of Product Management for YouTube Ads, confirmed in ablog posttoday that YouTube would be cutting down on the number of ads for those watching through TV apps. The catch is, the ad breaks that youdosee will be longer. If longer, but less frequent ads on your television sounds like the more traditional commercial break, that’s because it essentially is.
According to research, Pawar says that 79% of viewers would prefer grouped video ads for long-form content on television screens, which served as the basis for the company’s decision. The change is said to create a more “seamless viewing experience on the big screen,” with viewers also being able to see the time left until the ad break ends or when they can skip to the content, which is a nice touch.
It’s important to note that these changes are strictly for users streaming YouTube from a TV app, such as the one on Roku, Google TV, or other smart TVs. According to the report, people streaming YouTube on their televisions experienced nearly 30% longer viewing sessions before their next ad break. YouTube demoed these changes awhile back and says that they will now be rolled out to users around the globe.
At least we users can still browseYouTube Shortsin peace, right? Not exactly.
YouTube also confirmed that ads will begin playing on Shorts streamed through smart TVs globally in an effort to help brands reach their desired audiences just as they would through full-length video ads. you may’t really blame them either, with YouTube Shorts views growing by more than 100% from January to September 2023. YouTube seems to be doubling down on its assistance to brands by offering video reach campaigns, video view campaigns, and Shorts-specific campaigns to advertisers on Shorts being shown on the big screen.
The only proper way around such ads now looks to be YouTube Premium, which features an ad-free video experience along with some other cool aspects such asin-app games,AI contentand more. A subscription to Premium currently costs $14 per month.
Pawar says on behalf of YouTube that users should expect to see these changes roll out “soon,” so if you have anything left to be uninterrupted from the comfort of your living room, it looks like now is the time to do so.
