YouTube is increasing its advertising, and users are outraged.
The Google-owned company announced on Thursday that it will begin showing ads on the side of the screen whenever users pause a video. YouTube said in a statement to The Verge that it has been testing the feature since last year but is “broadly rolling out pause ads to all advertisers” starting this week.
In a statement to CNN, a Google spokesperson said the new ad experience is intended to make the video viewing experience as uninterruptible as possible.
“It’s seamless for viewers and allows them to learn more about brands. This is a beneficial update for the entire YouTube ecosystem and one that is of interest to modern advertisers. [connected TV] It’s an ‘ad experience,'” the spokesperson said.
Google did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
But some online users have questioned why they should once again endure promotional ads on the platform, while others have questioned the logic of the new ad placements, saying they usually pause a video because they’re doing something else.
There are good reasons to pause a video YouTube @TeamYouTube Just like telling people, if you make ads unstoppable and unskippable, you’re asking for trouble, which means fed up people will find a better platform. https://t.co/09uB2Svrwz
— Trav🦝 (@NewfieTanuki) September 19, 2024
I’m a YouTuber, so keep that in mind when listening to my opinions.
This is OK. If you pause the video… you’re not watching. So if an ad comes up while you’re away from the video or doing something, and then you come back and click play again… it’s not disruptive to your viewing experience. https://t.co/Qwmi9Ky7zW
— Westie (@MrProWestie) September 20, 2024
The move comes after YouTube has spent years revamping its ad experience, first introducing in-video ads in the early 2000s and then pre-roll ads, which have been a mainstay on the platform ever since.
In 2018, YouTube removed 30-second, unskippable adverts at the beginning of videos in order to “focus on formats that work for both users and advertisers,” the BBC reported at the time, but last year YouTube announced it would bring back 30-second unskippable adverts on TV.
During the company’s first-quarter earnings call in April, Google’s chief business officer Philip Schindler said YouTube has “received strong support” from advertisers for connected TV pause ads, which it is testing in 2023.
YouTube is expected to earn $31.5 billion in advertising revenue in 2023, up 8% from the previous year.
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