YouTube Pause Ads Rollout Widens: A New Advertising Strategy for Videos

YouTube Reports Pause Ads Rolling Out Widely

YouTube is reportedly rolling out pause ads widely to users and advertisers. Last year, the video streaming giant first announced its plans to show these ads that appear when a video is paused. Many netizens have reported seeing these ads, expressing concerns over this move. These appear as a pop-up ad and can either be a static image or a short looping video.

Details on the YouTube Experience

According to reports, pause ads are being spotted increasingly by users. Many have taken to social media platforms such as Reddit and Twitter to post about the new developments on the video streaming platform. These ads are separate from the ones YouTube usually shows at the beginning and in between videos.

• Pause ads appear whenever a user pauses a video.
• Unlike a full video ad, these ads are pop-up style ads that only occupy part of the screen.
• Examples show these ads occupy the right side of the video interface on the web and over the comment section in the mobile app.

New Changes in User Interaction

Importantly, these ads can be dismissed by tapping the ‘X’ icon placed on the top right of the ads. The decision to widely roll out pause ads was made after noticing both a strong advertiser and strong viewer response.

Impact on Advertising and User Experience

YouTube comms manager Oluwa Falodun shared insights regarding the decision. These pause ads are designed to offer users a less interruptive experience. However, it remains unclear if regular ads will appear less frequently following this implementation.

Despite user apprehensions, YouTube is not alone in this approach; platforms like Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema also feature ads during pause screens, especially on their free tiers.