They had threatened us with it for years, and finally, it became a reality. Google has decided that pausing a video on YouTube will cause the user to see even more ads.
Oluwa Falodun, YouTube’s communication manager, has confirmed this news to The Verge. As he explains to the media, they have “observed a great response from both advertisers and viewers.” So yes, pausing a video will make you see more ads, if possible.
In 2023, the platform began testing this feature with a limited selection of advertisers. The ads were a complete success for the brands, and now, users are suffering the consequences.
For YouTube, it’s not that serious. The platform clarifies that the ads we will see during video pauses are designed to offer a much “less interruptive” experience. If you want to completely get rid of the ads, you’ll have to pay and subscribe to YouTube Premium. You could also use an ad blocker, but these are already numbered days.
YouTube and its crusade against ad blockers
As of today, the video platform remains engaged in a fierce battle against ad blockers. To combat them, YouTube began months ago to change the way ads were integrated into its videos.
One measure adopted was to add ads directly into the video itself. This method, known as “server-side ad insertion,” has caused many ad blockers to stop working.
Traditionally, ads were displayed separately from the videos. This allowed blockers to detect the ads and “remove” them for the user. However, server-side ad insertion makes the advertising part of the video itself. This means that the blocker cannot intercept it.
