YouTube is adding a new format for ads on your TV which shows up when you pause the video, and that’s starting to roll out to users.
Back in May 2024, Google announced that YouTube would be getting some new ad formats on TVs, including a format that would place ads on screen whenever the video was left paused. There was no timeline given for when this format would start rolling out, but it appears to be showing up for some users now.
The ad column has a “Sponsored” label with the brand’s name and logo at the top, followed by the ad itself, a caption, and buttons to dismiss the ad or view more information. The ad automatically disappears when you resume playback, or you can remove it manually by using the Dismiss button. For now, Dunkin’ Donuts seems to be the only advertiser, suggesting a limited rollout. However, given that YouTube has been testing this format for well over a year now, it may appear for more users with ads from other brands soon.
YouTube has been aggressively experimenting with new ways to display ads on the platform over the last year. In addition to the Pause ads format, the company is also exploring longer, unskippable ads and picture-in-picture ads for live videos.
This might drive more users towards an ad-free subscription, but running ads when a video is paused will also surely drive more impressions for users. While it still seems to be in the beta phase, this could be a big opportunity for other video advertisers to implement this strategy.
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