YouTube users hit with longer, unskippable ads in update no one asked for
YouTube is rolling out longer advertisements on its videos and users are expressing their frustrations that these are unskippable.
This comes as many people online have noticed a change to the way Google puts out ads on the social media platform.
Previously, users were given the option to skip these ads after just a few seconds but this feature is now being removed.
There is one way to get rid of the ad without having to sit through it but it’ll cost you because it requires subscribing to YouTube Premium.
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This doesn’t impact advertisements displayed on desktops or smartphones but will affect users who watch YouTube on TV sets.
On the Google website, the tech firm explained: “VRC Non-Skip ads are now generally available, allowing brands to reach TV audiences with Google AI.
“We’re making it even easier to reach the millions of viewers enjoying YouTube in the living room - including the viewers that have made YouTube the #1 streamer in the U.S. for three years running.
“Why this matters for your media mix: Built for the big screen: Non-skips are optimized for CTV delivery and ensure your message is delivered in its entirety.
“AI-powered optimization: Google AI dynamically optimizes between 6-second Bumpers, 15-second standard and 30-second CTV-only non-skippable ad formats, ensuring your campaign reaches the right audience at the right time.
“Drive better performance: AI-powered precision helps drive greater efficiency across multiple non-skip ad formats, delivering more unique reach and impact compared with manual mixes of single-format campaigns.”
Many people have taken to social media themselves to share their own reactions to the news, with one user writing on Reddit: “I watched a video without ad blocking the other day and it was horrible. Every 5 minutes there were 2 ads. It was horrible.”
Another said: “They play ads between the set up and the punch line of jokes. FFS. It's awful. At least TV used to have a natural flow. Now YouTube decides it's a good idea to play a 9-minute long ad mid-joke that you can skip after 4 seconds. But if you don't the ad will play for NINE MINUTES.”
A third person commented: “Some ads are a whole f***ing show.”
And a fourth added: “On the one hand, servers cost money to run. I get it. Businesses need to cover their operating expenses. On the other hand, I don't need to watch anything. At all. Ever. On the third hand, their algorithm has no idea what to do with me in terms of ads, so the only thing they've managed to make me do is get a low-key annoyance and bad feeling about their product that I didn't want to consume in the first place.”