YouTube is finally working on getting rid of its worst ads

Summary

YouTube is trying to reduce mid-roll ad interruptions during crucial video moments.
The platform annouced that changes are coming May 12 to its automatic mid-roll ads which will result in ads during natural video breaks, like pauses or transitions, rather than in the middle of a sentence or important moment.
YouTube Premium offers an ad-free experience, and a cheaper Premium Lite option may launch soon.

One of the most frustrating aspects of watching a YouTube video is when a mid-roll ad interrupts a crucial part of the video, pulling you out of the experience. Fortunately, YouTube has finally decided to tackle this issue.

In a new help page post, YouTube says that starting May 12, it will improve its mid-roll ads by showing them less during points where they may interrupt the viewing experience and more during “natural break points,” like a transition or pause in the video. YouTube is doing this in an attempt to reduce the number of people who abandon a video due to a disruptive mid-roll ad.

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Changes are coming for creators

YouTube says automatic mid-roll ads earned creators more revenue

YouTube / Pocket-lint

As part of its changes starting May 12, YouTube will update older videos uploaded before February 24 with manual mid-roll ads to include additional automatic ads at natural break points. However, creators can opt out of this if they choose. If a creator already uses automatic mid-roll ads, YouTube says they can continue using them as is.

In July of last year, YouTube conducted an experiment with automatic mid-roll ads and found that channels using them experienced an average revenue increase of five percent compared to those relying on manual and automatic mid-roll ads. YouTube cautions that videos with manually placed interruptive mid-roll ad slots might earn less revenue once the changes take effect on May 12.

YouTube’s initiative to reduce disruptive mid-roll ads is welcome. However, the effectiveness of this strategy is still uncertain, mainly since the changes will not take effect for over two months. Ads appearing during essential video moments can be frustrating, so hopefully, YouTube’s update will genuinely fix this issue. For those who wish to avoid ads altogether, YouTube offers a Premium subscription that eliminates them, and a more affordable Premium Lite option is reportedly set to launch soon.