YouTube has successfully tested its so-called “paused video ads” and the company says tests have gone well. The system will likely see ads being played during YouTube videos when you pause the content.
YouTube confirmed that paused video ads were being tested back in May of 2023. The system would see ads appear when the viewer pauses a video on a connected TV. YouTube is calling these “paused experiences” and the content displayed during the pause will differ depending on your profile.
YouTube showed an example of these paused experiences. The image showed off a banner advert that appeared around the video block with the option to “dismiss” the ad. The video would then go back to full screen and you can continue watching the content.
We don’t know when YouTube plans on rolling these out to the public. However, the latest update from the company seems to point to a possible launch soon. Google’s Philipp Schindler told investors in an earnings call a recent trial revealed advertisers loved the idea of paused adverts.
He says the paused experiences are “driving strong results and commanding premium pricing from advertisers”. However, Schindler didn’t say much else.
Google is currently trying to crack down on adblockers being used on YouTube. For over a year now, the company has been locking out ad blockers on the platform and even pausing videos on YouTube until the blocker is disabled. But the system sounded easier said than done. Many ad blockers have updated their coding to bypass all these current blocks. If YouTube does detect the ad blocker, it usually takes a day or so before the app fixes the issue.
We don’t know if adblockers will work for these paused ad experiences on YouTube but that will likely be the case.
Source: The Verge
