YouTube first spoke about pause ads last year when it started trialing them in select regions. At the time, the company said that when you pause a video, it will shrink, and an ad will appear next to it.
“In Q1, we saw strong traction from the introduction of a pause ads pilot on connected TVs, a new non-interruptive ad format that appears when users pause their organic content,” Schindler noted. He went on to share that YouTube’s pause ads are “driving strong brand lift results” and “are commanding premium pricing from advertisers.”
Schindler didn’t share any timelines for when pause ads will start appearing on YouTube, but we know they’ll first roll out on smart TVs. The nature of these ads, including their duration, skippability, and more is still unclear. We also don’t know if Google plans to introduce these ads on YouTube’s mobile apps.
Yeah, my first reaction to seeing the API changes on Reddit was actually more of a glee/relief response than upset/disappointed. It meant that its grip on me was going to be over once those changes went through. I was worried the protests might get them to back down because I hated it there but always knew that the easy dopamine was just an app away.
Now I'm here though. I don't hate it here, at least not yet, but I haven't freed up the time like I was hoping to.