YouTube has finally done it. Users have noticed Ads are popping up when they pause videos and they’re not happy about it one bit.
Over a year ago, YouTube warned that they would begin to test ads on pause screens, similar to how Hulu did back in 2019.
The video platform dubbed these commercials “pause experiences,” but all viewers are experiencing is annoyance.
Across the YouTube subreddit, users have shared instances of ads popping up on their screens when they pause videos.
“Like bruh YouTube don’t you have enough ads already?” one asked in a post showing an advertisement to the side of a paused video.
“Can’t wait for this platform to drown,” a viewer replied.
“This is the most annoying ‘feature’ (if you can even call it a feature) yet!” blasted another.
Others, while upset, couldn’t help but give the platform props for finding a way to make money even when a video isn’t playing.
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“This is, admittedly, quite annoying – however I’ll give it to them it is a clever way of shoving an ad in your face,” someone else remarked.
YouTube comms manager Oluwa Falodun told The Verge that these ads were all according to plan and justified the decision.
“As we’ve seen both strong advertiser and strong viewer response, we’ve since widely rolled out Pause ads to all advertisers,” they said.
In 2024, YouTube began to crack down hard on ad blockers by punishing users who utilize them by skipping entire videos and even cutting out audio.
This news comes as the Google-owned platform revealed a whole suite of new tools and features being rolled out across the site.
Some features include an AI tool to create short videos, an X-like Communities update to bring fans of creators closer together, and the ability to send “gifts” to streamers like they can on TikTok.
