Have you noticed lately that you can’t skip YouTube ads as quickly as before? YouTube recently announced that they will start showing some unskippable video ads that last up to 30 seconds. Previously, most YouTube ads could be skipped after 5 or 15 seconds.
This change is definitely annoying for those of us who are used to zipping past ads to get to our video content. Sitting through a 30-second ad can seem like an eternity! The reason YouTube is making this switch is simple: money. YouTube has been trying for years to woo big brands and advertisers to spend more of their ad dollars on YouTube. Making some video ads unskippable is YouTube’s way of telling advertisers that people will be forced to watch their ads on the platform.
For YouTube, there’s a lot of potential money to be made from high-budget TV commercials and video ads. Big brands often spend millions to produce slick, professional ads and commercials. But many of these companies have been hesitant to spend a ton of money on YouTube ads that people can just skip after a few seconds. With unskippable 30-second ads now an option, YouTube is hoping to tap into some of those big advertising budgets.
Still, as a viewer, 30-second unskippable ads are super irritating. The entire point of YouTube is that we can choose what we want to watch and skip past anything that doesn’t interest us. No one likes being forced to watch an ad about some product they don’t care about. YouTube is taking a risk by annoiyng their viewers in this way. Many of us may start watching YouTube less or looking for ways to block the unskippable ads.
In the end, you can’t really blame YouTube for wanting to boost revenue from advertisers. But as a loyal YouTube viewer, I hope they don’t make all ads unskippable and that they keep at least some short 5 or 15 second skippable ads. A happy medium that generates more money for YouTube without completely sacrificing the viewer experience. Keep the 30-second unskippable ads to a minimum, YouTube, or you may end up irritating your viewers!
