YouTube is taking steps to improve the user experience by reducing intrusive ads in videos starting in 2025. The platform aims to address a common frustration among its users—the disruption caused by ads appearing at critical moments during video playback. YouTube will implement artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the most natural pauses in a video to insert ads, ensuring a smoother and less disruptive viewing experience.

Image credits: pexels

YouTube's New Advertising Approach: Less Interruptive Ads

In an official statement, YouTube announced that it would make significant changes to its ad system starting in May 2025. This change will focus on mid-roll ads, which are inserted during video playback. The goal is to reduce the placement of ads that disrupt the flow of the content, such as those that interrupt a sentence or a critical action scene.

According to YouTube, these updates aim not only to improve the overall viewing experience but also to increase ad revenue for content creators. The platform's new algorithm will identify the best moments to insert ads, ensuring that they appear during natural pauses in the content. This move is expected to reduce the number of viewers who abandon videos due to disruptive ads.

YouTube to Show More Ads but in Less Disruptive Ways

Despite the focus on reducing ad interruptions, YouTube's new policy will likely lead to more ads appearing in videos overall. This decision follows an experiment conducted in July 2024, which revealed that channels using a combination of manual and automatic ad placements saw an average increase of more than 5% in ad revenue compared to those relying solely on manual placements.

Mid-roll ads have been a source of frustration for many viewers, especially when they appear at crucial moments in videos. This issue often arises from poor manual ad placement by video creators or automatic ad systems placing ads at inopportune times.

Impact on Creators and New Tools for Ad Placement

The algorithmic change will affect creators who use automatic ad placements. However, creators who choose to manually place ads will be able to use a new tool within YouTube Studio. This tool will help them evaluate whether their chosen ad placements might disrupt the viewer’s experience. The tool will suggest more suitable ad positions, though the final decision will remain in the hands of the content creator.

An important change coming with the new algorithm is the increased presence of ads in older videos. YouTube will automatically insert ads into natural pauses in the content, meaning viewers will have to accept the ads. This feature will be optional, and creators will have the choice to either keep or disable it.

When Will the Changes Take Effect?

The new algorithm, aimed at reducing disruptive ads, will officially roll out on May 12, 2025. Additionally, YouTube is experimenting with a new, cheaper Premium Lite subscription option for users who want to avoid ads. However, there are no official details yet about when this service will be available in Spain or Latin America.

Conclusion

YouTube's efforts to reduce intrusive ads and improve the user experience reflect the platform’s commitment to both its creators and viewers. By using AI to intelligently place ads during natural pauses in videos, YouTube hopes to maintain ad revenue while providing a less disruptive experience for users. Creators will benefit from increased revenue opportunities and new tools to manage ad placements more effectively.

Stay tuned for the upcoming changes and explore the options YouTube will offer to improve your viewing experience!

Check more technical post: click here