YouTube Announces 30-Second Unskippable Ads for Connected TVs: All Details

YouTube on Wednesday announced at its Brandcast 2023 event that it is bringing 30-second ads to YouTube Select on CTVs (connected televisions). Instead of showing two 15-second ads, users in the US will soon be shown a single, 30-second video that cannot be skipped. YouTube has also brought a new pause experience as well as NFL Sunday Ticket. The video streaming giant has also announced an increase in viewership. YouTube including YouTube TV has reached over 150 million viewers on connected TVs in the US.

In a blog post, YouTube shared highlights of its Brandcast 2023 event. YouTube says that CTV users will now see 30-second non-skippable ads instead of two 15-second consecutive advertisements. The platform said that the new change will allow YouTube Select advertisers to “use existing assets in front of the most-streamed content.”

Additionally, YouTube has also announced a new feature for ads that play when viewers pause a video. With the new changes, the video will shrink and an ad will be played next to it. The ad will also come with a “Dismiss” button that will allow viewers to view the pause screen again, or they can simply hit play to resume watching the video.

In addition to these advertiser-focussed features, YouTube also announced US-specific additions such has NFL Sunday Ticket for YouTube TV and Primetime Channels along with new original programming such as “Game Day All Access.” The platform says it will bring a new “NFL Creator of the Week” YouTube Shorts series on the NFL channel later this year.

Recently, YouTube was also spotted testing a new feature to stop users with ad blockers from watching videos on the platform. Users who have been using ad blockers who have not subscribed to YouTube Premium, will not be able to play videos until they enable “Allow YouTube ads, according to a report. To enjoy ad-free content on the platform, users in India can subscribe to YouTube Premium which is priced at Rs. 129 a month or a prepaid fee of Rs. 1,290 for a one-year subscription.