For free YouTube users on the desktop, the overlay ads that appear at the bottom of the screen during video playback will no longer apply in April. These ads are annoying to viewers. However, YouTubers will then probably increasingly switch to other ads.
This refers to the advertising banners that are displayed centrally at the bottom edge while a video is playing and can be accessed by clicking on the ” X” at the top right edge of the display. This format is only used on desktop systems and not in the mobile layout.
In the announcement, YouTube speaks of an old ad format that is annoying for viewers. Therefore, with this change, one wants to improve the viewer experience and “shift engagement to higher-performing ad formats on desktop and mobile devices”. For creators, the elimination of the option could mean losses. However, YouTube writes that the effects will be limited for most if more is used instead.
The overlay ads will be dropped in April (Image: Influencer Marketing Hub)This, in turn, could mean more ads showing before or after a video. In addition, there are still the promotional videos that interrupt the playback of a video or the ads that appear after the recommended videos. Which of these ads are particularly annoying is debatable. The abolished overlay ads can at least be clicked away immediately after the ad, while the video ads cannot be skipped at all or can only be skipped after a few seconds. In return, several of the overlay ads can be displayed in the course of longer videos.
Overlay ads for YouTube videos on the desktop should be discontinued from April 6th come into force in 2023.
Completely ad-free with YouTube Premium
Users who who have subscribed to the paid YouTube Premium will not see any ads anyway. However, this subscription costs just under 12 euros per month. There is also the option to download videos and watch them offline. Plus, YouTube Music Premium is included to play millions of songs without ads. As the parent company Google announced in November last year, YouTube Premium now has 80 million subscribers worldwide.