There’s been a lot of talk about YouTube ads in the past few years, as Google has made an aggressive move against YouTube ad blockers. Google’s stance is understandable. Commercials are what make services like YouTube available for free. They also help creators make money.
Google’s aggressive stance has seen some backlash, and the company will soon upset YouTube users even more by increasing the number of ads in videos. The company will bring advertisements to paused videos, which sounds annoying when you first hear about it. But the more I think about it, the more sense it makes, assuming Google is willing to tone down other YouTube ads in exchange.
After toying with the idea for almost two years, Google confirmed to The Verge that ads are coming to paused videos.
Google’s Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler said earlier this year that pause ads are incredibly popular with ad firms. They’re also very lucrative for Google. “As we’ve seen both strong advertiser and strong viewer response, we’ve since widely rolled out Pause ads to all advertisers,” YouTube comms manager Oluwa Falodun told The Verge.
I haven’t experienced any ads while pausing YouTube clips recently, but several users have noticed them. They posted photos on Reddit and X that show the new ads.
The YouTube pause screen is now split into two sections. One shows the paused video, while the smaller one features an advertisement.
You might be surprised to see ads on YouTube this way, but should it really upset you? Think about it: you’re pausing video playback for a reason. You need a break. Maybe you have to respond to text messages or take a call. Or perhaps you want to go to the bathroom or grab a snack.
Most of the time, you won’t pay attention to the TV. That’s why you paused playback in the first place. should it matter if Google is placing ads in there? Also, advertisers will get more screen time with pause ads rather than the more annoying ads that you skip past anyway.
Google can turn pause ads into a great experience. It could reduce the number of ads that interrupt playback while ensuring it reaches the minimum number of ads it needs. The question is, does Google want to do that? I’d rather pause video playback and have some sort of ad appear if that reduces the number of ads that interrupt playback. Google said that the pause ads are designed to offer viewers a “less interruptive” experience. But it didn’t confirm to The Verge that its regular ads will appear any less frequently than before.
I fear Google will likely do the opposite and place ads anywhere it can. As 9to5Google points out, Google is also working on advertiser-branded QR codes that can show up on your TV, as well as longer ads that you can’t skip. Needless to say, that last one is the nightmare that users have been fearing. At this point, it seems like an inevitability.
