- YouTube is planning to show ads on paused videos in the near future, as revealed in Google parent Alphabet's Q1 earnings call.
- This new ad format has been under testing since last year and initial results show a positive result in gaining user attention.
- This move could encourage users to opt for the YouTube Premium subscription to avoid ads.
If you were already tired of watching ads at the start, in between, and at the end of YouTube videos, then be ready as the video-sharing platform is exploring another avenue to show you more ads. Yes, YouTube wants to show you more ads, and you might start seeing ads on paused videos in the coming weeks.
Pause ads on smart TVs were already under pilot testing, as announced in YouTube’s Brandcast event last year. Google’s Vice President Philipp Schindler shared the results of this experimental test during Alphabet’s first quarter earnings call. According to him, “Initial results show that Pause Ads are driving strong brand lift results and are commanding attention.”
These ads will show up when you pause an ongoing video that you were watching. The ads will take up the screen while the video you were watching is paused. The video will be shrunk down and ads will fill up the player. You will need to dismiss the pause ad to resume watching the video. If this seems familiar, then it is because Hulu also shows paused ads similarly.
We don’t have an exact date as to when pause ads will show up for everyone but since the initial tests have been positive, we may start seeing them soon. YouTube has already been quite aggressive with ads placement, as they introduced unskippable 30-second ads last year. They have also been cracking down on adblockers and third-party apps lately.
The increase in the ads placement could be another attempt by the platform to push users toward their ad-free YouTube Premium subscription. Annoy them till they pay out, right, guys? Free users of the platform will surely have to suffer the most with the rollout of another ad format on YouTube. What are your thoughts on pause ads? Let us know in the comments.
