YouTube is trying to get more people to buy its premium subscription plan and its idea to do so is through even more intrusive ads. The video-sharing platform has quietly started testing a new ad model that will show up to 5 advertisements before the video even starts.
The news came to light after several free users started complaining that they are seeing 5 ads before the video instead of the usual 2. These reports were posted on Twitter, Reddit, as well as other social networks and forums.
https://twitter.com/LoganC01962550/status/1567976567845830656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1567976567845830656%7Ctwgr%5E5d871d64db7a420010df7472ac3f7b1aa198c1c2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gizmochina.com%2F2022%2F09%2F13%2Fyoutube-free-silently-testing-5-ads-before-your-video-starts%2F
Naturally, this upset a multitude of users, but thankfully, YouTube was quick to respond to one of the complaints.
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
YouTube has said that this “may” happen with a certain type of ad format called bumper ads. These are usually smaller ads designed to reach more customers and increase awareness for brands. These are typically 6 seconds long and YouTube says that you can send feedback directly from YouTube through the feedback total.
However, even if these are only 6 seconds long, this still makes for 40 seconds worth of ads, which is even longer than the TV ads we get these days.
It is worth mentioning that not all free users are getting these type of ads, so it is clear that the new ad model is still in the testing phase. Moreover, YouTube did not deny the new ad model in its official response, meaning it will indeed be a thing for all users soon.
YouTube Premium users, on the other hand, get no ads at all. They can also download videos for offline playback and get access to more content across the platform. YouTube Music Premium also comes with the paid plan, letting you listen to music without any interruptions. It is not available in Pakistan for now.
Very nice