YouTube unveils new AI-driven 'Peak Points' feature to play ads at most engaging moments
YouTube announced a new ad placement feature called 'Peak Points' at its Brandcast 2025 event. 'Peak Points' is powered by Google Gemini, which analyzes videos to pinpoint the most engaging and meaningful moments in the content. Creators will be able to position ads immediately following these high-engagement segments, such as a pivotal scene like a marriage proposal, to maximize viewer retention and potential ad recall.
Building on emotion-based targeting strategies, this approach aims to serve ads to viewers when they are most emotionally invested, which YouTube asserts could boost overall ad effectiveness. The company acknowledges, however, that some viewers may find such ad placements frustrating, since they might interrupt key narrative moments. As of now, YouTube has not specified when 'Peak Points' will become available to content creators.
In addition to these, YouTube plans new connected TV ad formats, including immersive 'edge-to-edge' ads and shopping ads for browsing products directly on TV.
- Video Sharing Tool
- Freemium • Proprietary
Related news
External links
- Brandcast 2025: YouTube's Upfronts highlightsYouTube Blog
- YouTube wants to place ads at the 'most exciting' moments of its videosPCWorld
- YouTube viewers will start seeing ads after ‘peak’ moments in videosTechCrunch
- YouTube will start playing ads at ‘peak’ video moments using new artificial intelligence toolEuronews
- YouTube will show ads at 'peak points' of videosMashable
Comments
"....some viewers may find such ad placements frustrating...." Gee Google, ya think? The only people I can think of that won't find it frustrating are ones with sub-room temperature IQs.... or the ones running ad blockers.
More ads. Why am I not surprised to hear about this?
Just another excuse for Google to:
Funnier still, this would all come after the best moment in the videos, possibly annoying other users.
Great start to YouTube's 21st year...
Youtube will soon turn into a place for your favorite ads instead of a place for your favorite videos. See we understand the importance of ads as well, not that we skip every possible ad there is. We do support businesses. But I don't think ads in youtube will do any good to the business. Emotion targeting can go a long way, has both good and bad results, and when you shove ads in such intense moments, I can vouch the users will not get attracted to the business. For me personally, I will even report the whole video for random reasons.
Why? Because it can be done. Not "how", why? Well, because... greed! I'm even surprised that Google didn't patent the idea, or maybe its AI sucks at making sense of most videos on YouTube (like me). Or maybe because P*rnHub has already patented it, which it would make a lot more sense.
I can't wait for YouTube's final form !
Nothing but... ADS !!!