Pause ads on YouTube: A new annoyance in your streaming routine
As if YouTube wasn’t already packed with distractions — bumper ads, non-skippable in-stream ads, and overlay ads are just some of them — the Google-owned platform has now started rolling out pause ads to users worldwide, it seems.
Pause ads: what are they like?
A pause ad is a static banner that appears on your screen when you pause a YouTube video. Instead of covering the entire screen, it pops up on the right side. Below the ad, you’ll find a dismiss button and an information button, indicating that you can close it if you want.
YouTube confirmed to The Verge last week that this new type of ad is now available to all advertisers, which likely means more users will soon be experiencing them. The YouTube spokesperson told the publication they’ve seen “both strong advertiser and viewer response” to the new ads. And while we’ll leave that “strong viewer response” up to interpretation — they may be effective but for one we don’t believe users are thrilled about it — it sounds like these ads are here to stay.
The introduction of this new format has already sparked a fierce backlash among users. The YouTube subreddit has become a place for people to vent their frustrations and many were not holding back.
It’s easy to understand the overall dismay at YouTube’s seemingly insatiable need to fill every nook and cranny with money-making ads.
Last year alone, YouTube brought ads to Shorts, and 30-second unskippable ads to TV.
In fact, YouTube pause ads are not something entirely new. And although it appears that they are now being rolled out to all platforms (mobile, desktop, and YouTube TV), they have been long in the making. Back in April 2024, YouTube announced that it had been testing unskippable pause ads on TV. At the time, the company said it was pleased with how well the pause ads were performing, noting they helped increase brand awareness and encouraged advertisers to spend more.
Pause ads are increasingly commonplace
Pause ads aren’t a revolutionary format; rather, YouTube is jumping on a trend that’s become increasingly popular across the streaming landscape. Pause ads for Procter & Gamble, Kit Kat and other companies that are unrelated to the movie industry have become a familiar sight on Hulu, Peacock, and Discovery’s Max. Earlier this year, Amazon upped the ante by announcing that such pause ads on Prime Video would become shoppable, meaning you could add an item to your cart right from the screen. Roku went even further by patenting a technology that brings its own ads to pause screens, even when you’re using external devices connected via HDMI, like game consoles or other streaming adapters.
Blocking YouTube pause ads
At AdGuard, we haven’t encountered pause ads firsthand yet, but based on what we’ve seen on social media, it seems that these ads are similar to the ones we’ve successfully blocked in the past and they won’t require the invention of any new ad blocking methods. We’re committed to keeping an eye on this situation and will provide updates as we delve deeper into the specifics of how these ads function and how users can potentially block them. Stay tuned for more information!
