Report: YouTube has ‘concluded’ a test that showed some users up to 10 unskippable ads

YouTube, the video sharing and streaming platform, has irked users with its recently concluded test that showed users up to 10 unskippable ads in one break. Reportedly, the company did this somore people wouldjoin its ‘Youtube Premium’ programme which is ad-freeby paying as opposed to opting for the non-premium, regular version of the app.

The platform was in the midst of testing a feature which showed users up to 5 unskippable advertisements at the beginning of a video. While YouTube has claimed that these ads will be bumper ads which are essentially about 6 seconds long or so, people have been seeing ads longer than 10 seconds.

Ad breaks on the streaming app typically appear before a video starts as well as during the video if the creator decides to do so. However, longer ads are usually skippable after a few seconds while smaller ads that last a couple of seconds are usually unskippable. Over the past month or so, users have noticed that they are getting longer unskippable ads and the advertisements on the platform, in general, have expanded greatly both in length and quantity.

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Reportedly, this is not happening with all users or even all the videos on YouTube but the longer breaks have become more common lately. The phenomenon made headlines when several users took Twitter and Reddit to voice their concerns about the uptick in the number and duration of advertisements on the streaming platform, with one user saying they saw 11 ads instead of 5.

YouTube also took to Twitter to clarify that “this may happen with a certain type of ad format called bumper ads since they are only up to 6 seconds long.” However, they have not acknowledged the increased number of ads on the platform.

A YouTube spokesperson told 9to5Google, that these ads were a part of a small global experiment which served “multiple ads in an ad pod” when the users were watching longer videos on their televisions. They also indicated that the goal was to enhance the user experience by “reducing ad breaks” and that they have concluded the small experiment.

Reportedly, they also said that ad pods were first introduced in 2018, but in small numbers to test the number of ads required without interrupting the user between long videos. The streaming platform also reiterated that user experience is its top priority, and reducing ads was a part of the goal. Notably, not all users were dealing with the 5 unskippable ads; some were still receiving only 2 unskippable ads like before, while some received at least 10 unskippable ads or more.