You’re likely to start seeing ads even when you pause YouTube videos. This is thanks to a broader rollout of a new ad format YouTube started testing in 2023. And while it’s considered “non-intrusive,” it’s still annoying.
YouTube Starts a Wider Rollout of Pause Ads
As first spotted on Reddit, and then noted by 9to5Google, YouTube has started rolling out ads in pause screens. This, as you may have already guessed, means that you’ll see an ad whenever you pause a YouTube video.
How these pause ads are displayed appears to depend on what platform you’re using to watch YouTube videos. On a smart TV, the video is pushed to the left, with the ad appearing on the right. Whereas on your mobile, the ad pops up to cover the comments section underneath the video (as you can see in the tweet embedded below).
YouTube Pause Ads Have Been a Long Time Coming
Inserting ads into pauses isn’t a new concept, with streaming TV services toying with the idea for years. And in 2023, YouTube started testing what it called at the time “pause experiences”. That test obviously proved successful, as more and more people are now noticing pause ads.
YouTube communications manager Oluwa Falodun confirmed a broader rollout, telling The Verge:
“As we’ve seen both strong advertiser and strong viewer response, we’ve since widely rolled out Pause ads to all advertisers.”
YouTube sees these ads as “non-interruptive,” because by pausing a video, you’re the person who has done the interrupting. However, that’s a very narrow definition of the term, as any ad can be seen to be interruptive of the experience of using YouTube as a whole.
Forcing Everyone to Pay for YouTube Premium
While we all understand the need for both YouTube itself and the creators who fill the site with videos to make money, the number of ads on YouTube seems to be getting out of hand. With pause ads just the latest example of YouTube finding a new opportunity to squeeze some in.
Ultimately, YouTube has carte blanche to add as many ads as it wants, as it offers viewers the chance to remove them all by paying for YouTube Premium. But essentially forcing people to pay for Premium by making the standard experience more annoying isn’t a good look.
