Facepalm: YouTube may soon give viewers another reason to sign up for the company’s ad-free subscription service, or infuriate them enough to stop watching altogether. During its Brandcast conference in the spring of 2023, YouTube spoke of a new “pause ads” initiative for smart TVs. As the name suggests, these are ads that will play mid-stream when a user has paused the content they are watching. As the Times of India explains, your paused video will shrink to make room for an ad.

Philipp Schindler, Google SVP and chief business officer, said during the company’s most recent earnings call that early testing in Q1 exhibited “strong traction.” The executive added that pause ads are “commanding premium pricing from advertisers” and “driving strong brand lift results,” likely suggesting a wider rollout could be just around the bend.

YouTube attempted to spin the “non-interruptive” ad format as less of a nuisance than traditional ads, but not everyone is buying it. When I pause a show, it is often to answer a call or talk to someone that has just entered the room. The last thing I want in a situation like that is an unexpected commercial that could prompt me to take additional action. Do pause ads play audio and / or video? Will I have to pause them, or just press the mute button?

What about pause ads that play when I leave the room to grab a snack or use the restroom, no harm in those right? In that scenario, the ad is a total waste as nobody is consuming its message. Sure, YouTube is making its ad revenue but advertisers are not going to stick with that lossy model for very long.

It will be interesting to see if and how ad blockers cope with YouTube’s pause ads. Google has been going back and forth with ad blocker providers for the better part of the last year and with this new initiative on the horizon, it is unlikely that either side will back down anytime soon.

Image credit: CardMapr