YouTube has officially announced that pause screen ads are now widely available to all advertisers. The platform began testing these ads in 2023 with a select group of advertisers. The initial results were positive, with strong responses from both advertisers and viewers.
“Given the robust response from both advertisers and viewers, we have now extensively launched Pause ads to all advertisers,” said Oluwa Falodun, YouTube’s communications manager. The chief business officer at Google, Philipp Schindler, also noted that these ads were popular among advertising companies and profitable for Google during the initial tests.
The Verge reports that pause screen ads currently appear on smart TVs and browsers when a user pauses a video. According to ZDNet, while there is no clear indication that they will be implemented on mobile devices, the feature is part of the modern Connected TV (CTV) ads experience.
User Experience and Reactions
Engadget reports that users are not happy with YouTube’s new pause screen ads. When you hit pause, the video shrinks into a small box. A large ad pops up next to it.
This is especially annoying if you’re trying to analyze or take a closer look at something in the video. The ad gets in the way of your focused viewing.
Many people have taken to social media to complain. They feel the ads are intrusive and disruptive. It bothers them most when they’re engaged in the content and just want to pause for a moment.
These ads feel more irritating than other types of YouTube ads. Picture-in-picture ads or longer, less frequent ads may be less of a nuisance. But pause screen ads appear during moments when you’re not actively watching. Those pauses used to be ad-free.
The strong negative reaction shows that users see pause ads as a step too far. They interfere with the viewing experience in a new and frustrating way. It remains to be seen if YouTube will respond to the backlash.
