You open your phone to watch a YouTube video and right when you press play you’re met with a cartoon lizard talking about car insurance. All you want is to bypass this so you look for the option to “skip” this ad, but no such option appears. Time and time again, people just like yourself go through this 30-second torture every day. These “unskippable ads” have been buzz kills for long enough! and YouTube agrees.
Google announced last week that YouTube will stop supporting 30-second unskippable ads. In an official statement, Google explained that its aim is to provide a better advertising experience for online users. Collectively, we viewers rejoice! In the statement, Google explains:
“As part of that, we’ve decided to stop supporting 30-second unskippable ads as of 2018 and focus instead on formats that work well for both users and advertisers.”
Why the Change?
Although many users of YouTube would say that the change is for the sole benefit of the view, the driving force behind this change is still unknown. Were advertisers finding that users were simply skipping past videos with pricey unskippable ads, thereby rendering expensive ad spends useless? Or did enough users voice frustration about the user experience that the move was intended to appease viewers? The world may never know.
To Good to be True?
Yes, 30-second unskippable ads will soon be a thing of the past. But before you go off and start making plans to celebrate this monumental video viewing achievement, keep this in mind. Unskippable 15 and 20-second ads will remain as an option that advertisers on YouTube can use.
The elimination of 30-second unskippable ads is YouTube’s first step in their push for their new advertising option. 6-second pre-roll video bumper ads were released to advertisers in April of 2016. The video platform hopes that these ads will be the middle road for advertisers and views.
Google’s latest move may not please advertisers, but it’s a step in the right direction. It’s the price YouTube is clearly willing to pay to keep people watching, especially with Facebook doubling-down on video.