YouTube to introduce longer, unskippable Ads on Smart TVs

YouTube has announced that it will introduce longer, unskippable ads to its platform for users who stream videos on a big screen. This change was revealed at the YouTube Brandcast event held in New York on Wednesday, where the company made two significant announcements that will affect people who watch YouTube on smart televisions.

Firstly, YouTube will add 30-second unskippable ads to its top-performing content. Secondly, the platform is also bringing "Pause ads" to YouTube on smart TVs. These ads will pop up when viewers pause a video mid-stream.

The only way to avoid these ads on YouTube on connected TVs is to get a YouTube Premium subscription. YouTube Select, which now lands over 70% of impressions on the TV screen, is categorizing these videos under its umbrella. Viewers will now see one long 30-second ad they can't get rid of instead of two 15-second ads consecutively.

While the move is sure to annoy some viewers, it is expected to be welcomed by advertisers who will be able to reach a larger audience with their ads. YouTube has been experimenting with different ad formats in recent years, and these latest changes are part of the company's efforts to find a balance between ad revenue and user experience.

Our take: If you’re not paying for YouTube Premium, you will get through more frustrating ads or you can consider to install a Youtube client for your smart TV, like SmartTube