YouTube to cut 30-second unskippable ads

YouTube reportedly is due to axe 30-second unskippable ads from next year to focus on its other advertising formats.

A spokesperson for Google confirmed the move to the BBC, claiming that from 2018 onwards the video service will “focus instead on formats that work well for both users and advertisers.”

Currently non-skippable video ads, which must be watched before a video can be viewed, can be up to 30 seconds in length – though 15 or 20 variants also exist depending on regional standards. These ads can appear before, during or after the main video.

YouTube offers content creators a variety of other ad formats, including non-skippable ads of up to six seconds, skippable video ads that can be closed after 5 seconds, and semi-transparent overlay ads that appear in the lower 20% portion of a video.

News of the 30-second unskippable ad cull was reported first by advertising trade magazine, Campaign, last week.