Those who thought YouTube couldn’t support more ads will be disappointed to learn that Google is already testing ads in a new place on its video streaming platform. Those using YouTube without a Premium subscription may start seeing new ads in the TV version of the app, but they don’t appear before the clip starts or pause. The new ads would appear when you pause.
Ads during playback are currently being tested in the smart TV app
According to the statements of Google’s Philipp Shindler, made during a conference with investors, ads during breaks on YouTube have already been successfully tested in the last few weeks, and the results have been positive. So they might start showing up more often in the smart TV app. The “non-disruptive” format has proven to be a factor that raises the results of brands in promotional campaigns and therefore can be a more expensive format that brings more revenue to the company’s accounts.
Meanwhile, YouTube users complain about the enormous number of ads that appear in the free version before and during the clips. YouTube is also constantly fighting ad-blocking methods, whether they are ad-block browser extensions or alternative apps that provide ad-free access to YouTube content.
It’s clear that YouTube wants to move as much of its user base as possible to Premium subscriptions. Not only do they completely remove ads from the platform, but they also offer access to YouTube Music, background playback on mobile devices, and the ability to pay less on a family plan.
With the placement of ads during playback breaks, YouTube is running out of many other new places to show ads. Since we haven’t seen these ads yet, we don’t know their nature or whether they will be extended to other devices. Right now smart TVs seem to be the target of the “non-interruptive” format, but we don’t know how long it lasts, if you can skip it, or if it’s a banner, video clip or animation without sound.
