The world’s most popular video-sharing and streaming service, YouTube, has reportedly started tested a new ad-format when is showing users up to 5 non-skippable ads to be watched, before the start of a video, which is up from 2 non-skippable advertisements in the past.
The development comes after several users took to social media and complained about the new ad-format to YouTube and criticized the internet giant for showing 5 non-skippable ads instead of the usual 2 advertisements, which even forced the company to respond and explain the reason behind the change.
youtube just gave me 5 long unskipable ads pic.twitter.com/FgUUrzZvoB
— The Ricked One (@LoganC01962550) September 8, 2022
According to YouTube, the 5 non-skippable advertisements are part of a new ad-format called, Bumper Ads, which show multiple advertisements since they’re only up to 6 seconds long. The company added that users can provide their feedback on the new ad-format directly from the video-sharing app.
hmm…this may happen with a certain type of ad format called bumper ads, since they're only up to 6 seconds long. if you'd like, you can send feedback directly from YouTube via the send feedback tool
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) September 7, 2022
It is pertinent to mention that even though the advertisements are only 6 seconds long, they add up to a total of 30 seconds. However, the new ad-format is seems to be in testing among certain free users and not everyone is getting 5 non-skippable ads before their video starts.
This may also be YouTube’s way to encourage people to get their YouTube Premium Subscription for an ad-free experience. However, the service isn’t offered everywhere and most users may end up being stuck with multiple non-skippable ads in the future.
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