YouTube’s new way to interrupt your viewing is going wide

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Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• YouTube Pause ads are now rolling out widely, displaying ads when users pause videos, in addition to multiple unskippable ads during playback.
• The expansion has been driven by a positive response from advertisers. YouTube calls these ads “non-interruptive.”
• The push for more ads seems aimed at encouraging more users to subscribe to YouTube Premium.

YouTube has confirmed that it’s now rolling out Pause ads widely on the platform. Yes, that means not only do you have to live with multiple unskippable ads, but you’ll also start seeing ads on the free version of YouTube when you pause a video.

In a statement to The Verge, YouTube’s Communication Manager, Oluwa Falodun, said that the company has seen a strong response to Pause ads on YouTube from both advertisers and viewers. “We’ve since widely rolled out Pause ads to all advertisers,” the executive confirmed.

YouTube has been testing Pause ads for some time now. In April, Google’s Philipp Schindler shared positive results from the experiment, calling Pause ads a new “non-interruptive” format that appears when users pause what they are watching. It remains unclear whether the widespread rollout of Pause ads will result in fewer regular ad breaks during video playback — though, frankly, that seems unlikely.

YouTube users are already seeing more frequent Pause ads on smart TVs. Some have even reported seeing them on YouTube’s mobile app. With the company’s confirmation coming in, it’s just a matter of time before Pause ads become a new normal for YouTube users.

Of course, you can always subscribe to YouTube Premium if you want to get rid of ads on the platform. That’s the whole intent here — to get users to pay for content one way or the other.






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