YouTube is binning individual ad controls for newly uploaded videos in November for the following ad types:

• Pre-roll
• Post-roll
• Skippable
• Non-skippable

Moving forward, creators will only be able to decide between displaying ads before or after a video, and whether to have this option on or off. If they turn this option on, YouTube will automatically decide which ad type to display as appropriate.

Creators will still have complete control over mid-roll ads, however, with the option to manually select ad breaks or turn on automatic ad breaks.

Why we care. Simplifying ad management with automation could save time and reduce the risk of human error. However, some advertisers might find it frustrating to have less control, as it could negatively impact the user experience and potentially increase the use of ad blockers.

Why now? Google is making changes based on feedback that making individual selections was confusing for both newly monetizing and existing creators. The search engine explained it is making changes to:

• “Extend best practices within the creator community and optimize creator revenue.”

This decision follows YouTube’s announcement about running 30-second non-skippable ads and exploring the possibility of longer but less frequent ads on connected TVs.

What has YouTube said? A YouTube spokesperson said:

• “This change is happening in order to extend best practices within the creator community and optimize creator revenue.”
• “Our goal is to help creators earn more, while making the ad experience as simple as possible so creators can do what they do best, and that’s creating great content.”
• “Most creators shouldn’t notice a change as they already have many of these ad formats turned on by default.”
• “In the last year, for long-form videos that were enabled for monetization at time of publishing, more than 90% of videos had pre-roll, post-roll, skippable, and non-skippable ads turned on.”

Deep dive. Read YouTube’s Simplifying Ad Controls announcement in full for more information.