If you like watching YouTube on your TV, brace yourself for longer ads.
YouTube ads have gotten longer and more frequent over the years. Now the platform is increasing their length once again, but only for one device in particular.
YouTube TV Viewers May Soon Face Longer Unskippable Ads
We all know that feeling when you watch a video on YouTube and suddenly an ad pops up. But then comes the relief: the skip button appears and you don’t have to watch the ad for longer than five seconds.
According to Google’s latest announcement, this will soon no longer be possible, but only if you are watching on a smart TV, a streaming stick, or a gaming console. More and more people are enjoying their favorite creators on YouTube that way, and Google seems to be aware of that. With this move, the company wants to shape the experience more toward a traditional TV experience in favor of the advertisers. In a statement, Google said:
"Why this matters for your media mix: Built for the big screen: Non-skips are optimized for CTV delivery and ensure your message is delivered in its entirety."
Google further elaborated:
"Google AI dynamically optimizes between 6-second Bumpers, 15-second standard, and 30-second CTV-only non-skippable ad formats, ensuring your campaign reaches the right audience at the right time."
YouTube’s New TV Ads Leave Viewers Frustrated
The only way to avoid these ads is to subscribe to YouTube Premium or watch on another device. Unsurprisingly, people were anything but happy about this change. Users took to Reddit to vent their frustration:
"I watched a video without ad blocking the other day and it was horrible. Every 5 minutes there were 2 ads. It was horrible."
"YouTube is hellbent on making sure no one ever uses the TV app ever again."
"Youtube about to reduce the time I spend watching youtube. I guess it will be good for my health."
With this, the sentiment from the community should be pretty clear. People don't want YouTube to become more like traditional TV, because what separated YouTube from TV is what made YouTube great in the first place. So maybe stick to your laptop or PC when watching YouTube in the future.
