YouTube revealed plans to update how mid-roll advertisements function, starting May 12.
The update focuses on showing more ads at natural breakpoints in videos while reducing interruptive ad placements that can lead to viewer abandonment.
Key Changes to Mid-Roll Ad Placement
YouTube will prioritize placing mid-roll ads at natural break points, such as scene transitions or pauses in content, rather than during action sequences or in the middle of sentences.
For older videos uploaded before February 24, YouTube will automatically add ad slots at natural break points for creators who have previously used manual mid-roll placements.
Importantly, creators can opt out of this automatic placement through YouTube Studio if they prefer to maintain manual control.
New Creator Tools Being Rolled Out
To help creators adapt to these changes, YouTube is introducing two new features:
- Feedback in YouTube Studio: This tool will identify if manually placed mid-roll ad slots are considered “interruptive,” allowing creators to adjust their placements accordingly.
- Automatic Ad Slots: Creators can now simultaneously enable manual and automatic mid-roll placements. This hybrid approach lets creators control specific ad breaks while YouTube’s system identifies additional natural break opportunities.
Thomas Kim (“TK”), who heads the YouTube Partner Program, explained in a video:
“Creators in the past had to choose between automatic or manual mid-rolls, and now we’re going to give you the option to do both.”
Impact on Different Creator Strategies
The changes will affect creators differently based on their current mid-roll strategies:
- Creators using only automatic mid-rolls: No action is needed; these channels won’t be affected.
- Creators manually placing mid-rolls at natural breaks: These channels should be minimally impacted, but they are encouraged to use the new feedback tool to verify their placements.
- Creators placing mid-rolls at fixed intervals without considering content flow: These channels may see decreased revenue if they don’t adapt their strategies, as YouTube will show fewer ads at interruptive points.
Potential Revenue Benefits
YouTube reports positive revenue results from early testing.
Channels enabling automatic mid-roll ads and manual placements saw an average 5% increase in YouTube ad revenue compared to those using manual mid-rolls.
TK stated in the announcement video:
“By adding auto on top [of manual placements], it lets our systems find potentially better breaks and increases your ad opportunity.”
What Creators Should Do Now
With the changes taking effect on May 12, YouTube is giving creators approximately 2.5 months to adjust their strategies. The company recommends:
- Check existing manual mid-roll placements with the new feedback tool
- Considering enabling automatic ad slots alongside manual placements
- Creating content with more natural breakpoints if current videos have limited non-interruptive placement opportunities
YouTube reminds creators that they control whether to show mid-roll ads and where they appear. The company doesn’t force automatic mid-rolls on videos that don’t have them enabled.
TK assured creators
“We’re not taking away any controls. You have control whether you want to turn on mid-roll ads, turn off mid-roll ads, where you want to place them. All we’re giving you is more features to help you optimize those and give you more options.”
For more details, see the video below:
Featured Image: daily_creativity/Shutterstock
