YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, is currently testing a new ad format on its TV app that aims to improve the viewing experience for users. In this experiment, viewers can expect to see fewer ads, but with a longer duration. The concept behind this change is to replicate the traditional commercial break experience that is commonly found in linear TV programming. With this move, YouTube hopes to strike a balance between generating ad revenue and providing users with a seamless and enjoyable content consumption journey.
Key Takeaway
YouTube is experimenting with longer but fewer ads on its TV app to improve the viewing experience for users. The company aims to create a more traditional commercial break feel while users watch long-form content. Additionally, YouTube plans to update the ad timer on the TV app to better show the remaining time in an ad break.
As part of this testing phase, YouTube is also planning to update the ad timer on its TV app. Presently, the app displays the length of each individual ad, accompanied by a placeholder that indicates which ad is being shown in a series. However, this approach does not provide a clear indication of how long the entire ad break will last. Therefore, YouTube intends to introduce a new ad timer that will prominently display the total duration of each ad break, thereby informing users about the remaining time until they can resume watching their desired content.
Earlier this year, YouTube introduced 30-second unskippable ads for TVs, reaching an impressive 150 million people using connected TVs in the U.S. during April. This underscores the growing importance of the TV app as a significant advertising platform for the company. Furthermore, YouTube users now watch over 700 million hours of content on TV screens daily, further solidifying the TV app as a crucial component of the YouTube experience.
In its ongoing efforts to enhance the TV app, YouTube has also introduced various features. In March, the company unveiled a multiview feature that allows users to simultaneously watch multiple sporting events. This functionality was later extended to non-sports content in June, offering users even more flexibility in their content consumption.
In a separate announcement, Google recently revealed that starting in November, it will remove certain ad controls for creators on YouTube. Creators will no longer be able to choose whether to include pre-roll, post-roll, skippable, or non-skippable ads. Instead, YouTube’s own system will determine the ad format, with creators retaining the ability to manually insert ads during livestreams.
As YouTube continues to experiment and innovate with its ad formats and user experience, it remains committed to striking a balance between serving ads and providing users with enjoyable and engaging content.
