We all agree YouTube ads can be annoying especially when one is engaged in what they are watching. There are too many ad breaks on YouTube and some of us have opted for the pricey YouTube Premium. The company wants to rectify this by reducing the amount of ad breaks, especially for those who consume content on their TVs. However, this change in the platform’s ad strategy doesn’t come without a bit of a caveat.
YouTube has been testing a new approach to its ad strategy in an attempt to make the viewing experience more seamless for viewers. In September, YouTube began showing fewer, but longer ad breaks to some of its users. Google says that viewers “experienced 29% longer viewing sessions before their next ad break.” Now Google has announced it is rolling out this experience to users across the globe.
As we advance, users who are watching the video platform on their TV will see an updated countdown timer located in the bottom right of the screen. Instead of telling you how many ads will be in the break, this timer will tell you how much time is left until the ad break is done or when you can skip it.
Fewer ad breaks weren’t the only thing Google had to announce today, it also revealed that ads are coming to YouTube Shorts on TV. According to the company, the experience will be similar to that on web and mobile with ads in between that users can skip with their TV remote.
Despite the longer breaks, reducing the number of breaks should make the viewing experience a little more enjoyable. But we’re not exactly thrilled about ads invading Shorts.
