Sep 20, 2024 at 7:32 PM YouTube is now forcing Ads when videos are paused, sparking outrage among users
YouTube is rolling out a new feature that displays ads when users pause videos, as confirmed by YouTube's communication manager, Oluwa Falodun, in a statement to The Verge. Google had begun testing these pause ads in 2023 with a select group of advertisers, finding them to be highly profitable and generally well-received. Despite initial concerns, the ads were not considered intrusive enough to drive users away from the platform.
Reddit users have shared screenshots of these pause ads, and the general response has been mostly negative. These ads appear on both YouTube's website and its mobile app when videos are paused. YouTube claims the new ads aim to provide a "less interruptive" user experience, though there has been no indication that the frequency of regular ads will decrease with this new feature.
This move comes after YouTube's 2023 introduction of unskippable ads and its increasingly intense crackdown against ad blockers on the platform, adding another layer to the platform's advertising strategy.
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Related news
External links
- YouTube confirms your pause screen is now fair game for adsThe Verge
- YouTube starts showing ads when you pause a video on TV9to5Google
- Google is going to show you even more ads on YouTube soonXDA
- YouTube ads can play even when your screen is paused nowCNN
- YouTube will start showing ads – even when not watching videosThe Independent
- YouTube is now showing ads when you pause videosEngadget
Comments
Call me crazy, but constantly finding new ways to annoy people that use your crappy service doesn't seem like a good way to increase profits.
Youtube is big enough to afford this They can annoy people and they will be unable to switch to another platform
You got the first part right. But, they'll only annoy people that are either too dumb or stubborn to use ad blockers and/or other ways of avoiding this BS. As things get worse, more and more people will finally say "ENOUGH!!" and look for ways to stop it. It's already been happening.
Imagine not using an adblocker (this is a message from the own your device collective)
Agreed.
I've moved back to Firefox (Zen Browser) due to manifest v2 depreciation, now this.
I really don't get it... why one pauses a video - cause they are not watching. And you put ads in this windows, when no one's watching, If I was an advertiser I'd have shit for brains to pay for something like this xD it's hilarios first, then annoying. Next level annoying probably xD LONG LIVE ADBLOCKERS!!!