TECH NEWS – YouTube now shows ads when videos are paused (also).

YouTube, the most-watched video website, now uses targeted ads on pause screens, along with DirecTV, Sling TV and Hulu.

Google has found yet another way to capitalize on your eyeballs: it’s turning paused YouTube videos into a new interface for ads. The company’s head of communications told The Verge that they’ve seen “strong advertiser and strong reviewer responses” since they “rolled out Pause ads to all advertisers.”

YouTube first began investigating the use of ads on pause screens with select advertisers in 2023. Google’s head of business, Phillip Schindler, announced last April that advertisers liked the new advertising concept. Understandably, the site’s viewers weren’t so enthusiastic about the idea.

Reddit users have been posting screenshots of the new pause screen ads, and to say they’re not happy with the ads is a strong understatement for their reactions. (Especially after the fact that there are more and more advertisements in videos as well. Recently, domestic users have also noticed that the algorithm automatically places at least one extra double advertisement block in most videos.)

The new ads don’t just appear on the website.

According to others on the site, ads also pop up when you pause videos on the YouTube mobile app.

The concept of screen pause ads is not new. Streaming services like AT&T DirecTV and Hulu show ads when the screen is paused. At least if you have one of the lower subscription plans. Some Amazon products, such as Fire tablets, also display ads on the lock screen. In May of last year, Amazon announced on its official blog that it plans to expand its offer of advertising space to everyday devices…

Source: The Verge, Reddit