YouTube TV Begins Placing Advertisements on Zen “Skip Ad” Scenes
YouTube TV Begins Placing Advertisements on Zen “Skip Ad” Scenes
Everywhere you look these days, it seems like someone is trying to sell you something. American consumers are constantly bombarded with ads, and television has been one of the top delivery vehicles for advertisements for decades, whether offered over the air or via a broadband connection.
YouTube TV users are noting via social media that one feature they previously used to avoid ads now comes with ads built in. The streamer’s “Skip ad” feature — which was designed to take users away from the commercials airing on the live TV streaming service to a quiet zen landscape with soothing ambient noises, away from the cacophony of sounds and dizzying series of images that make up blocs of ads on cable channels — now comes with ads of their own, as pictured below.
Photo Courtesy of Reddit User u/marcusdiddle.
Media outlets are doing everything they can to throw advertisers a bone these days. The ad industry is currently in a bit of a downturn, and TV and streaming providers know how important the symbiotic relationship between ads and television is. Advertising revenues are how TV producers get paid, and ad-supported streaming plans are much better at monetizing individual users than ad-free plans are.
Still, from a user standpoint, the move to bring ads to a calming screen intended to be a break from commercials is disappointing. It demonstrates once again that companies will follow the money instead of putting the user experience first, and though the new YouTube TV ads are relatively unobtrusive, they still take away another space where users could gain a brief respite from commercials.
YouTube has been increasing its output of ads on more than just YouTube TV. In May, it was announced that YouTube would be introducing unskippable, 30-second ads for users who watched videos on connected TVs. Previously, viewers of YouTube videos on smart TVs or streaming devices connected to a TV were in the form of two, back-to-back 15-second ads. Usually, viewers could skip the ads after watching for a few seconds, but the new ads remove that ability.
There’s also potential that YouTube will be launching a hub of free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels in the future. In January, the company tested a FAST hub with a small group of users to see if it would generate a positive response. The company is still working through the data of that test, but it’s another demonstration of how ads are proliferating across multiple YouTube platforms.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $82.99/month. This plan includes local channels 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets. The base plan includes more than 100 live channels, including major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, as well as popular cable channels such as ESPN, CNN, FX, USA Network, and TNT. Local channels are included in most markets, making YouTube TV a full replacement for traditional cable for many viewers.