YouTube has announced a series of changes to its mid-roll ad system aimed at optimizing ad delivery, improving transparency, and providing creators with more control over their ad placement. The update, which will begin rolling out in May, reflects evolving audience behavior and aims to balance creator revenues, audience satisfaction, and advertisers’ expectations.
According to YouTube, the platform adjusts how ads are shown on videos to keep up with content trends and viewing habits. “Videos are getting longer, viewing habits are changing, and we need to adapt to ensure that our ads are delivered effectively,” the company said.
Hybrid ad placement model has been encouraged
One important change involves a more integrated approach to combining automatic and manual ad slots. YouTube said, “Our experiments show that when creators use this combination, they increase their revenues by an average of 5%.”
Creators can still manually place ad slots within the video, but the system now offers new insights where slots are likely to be used. This transparency allows creators to make more informed decisions about ad placement.
“We are currently offering insights that are likely to use ad slots. This additional transparency allows us to optimize ad placement more accurately,” YouTube said.
Improved accuracy of automatic ad slots
The platform acknowledged creators’ concerns about automated mid-roll ads and said it is working to improve accuracy. The update arriving in May will improve how ads are placed based on content flow and audience expectations.
“We are rolling out an update in May to further improve ad placement based on audience expectations and content flow,” YouTube announced. “Just because there are so many ad slots doesn’t mean we’re offering ads to each of them.”
YouTube emphasized that its system evaluates multiple factors when deciding where to serve ads, with the aim of maximizing revenue while minimizing disruption.
Existing and new content tools
To facilitate management of ad placement, YouTube offers creators the option to add automatic mid-roll slots to existing videos that currently only use manual ads. Creators who wish to opt out must do so by May 12, 2025.
For new content uploads, we recommend that you check the first automatic ad slot provided by YouTube and adjust or remove them as needed. Creators can add manual slots and fine-tune their placement using platform feedback.
“When uploading a new video, look at the automatic ad slot we provide first. We will adjust or remove it to make it look good,” YouTube says.
Focused on natural rest
The updated system encourages creators to place ads in “natural pauses, scene changes, or content corruption” and avoid interruptions at key moments such as action sequences and critical dialogues.
YouTube Studio’s feedback tool shows AD slots that are unlikely to serve both before and after the May update, allowing creators to adjust their strategy accordingly.
More data, better decisions
Reaffirming its commitment to transparency and creator success, YouTube said, “We believe that better information will lead to long-term success for creators and YouTube.”
The platform’s goal in these updates gives you the opportunity to increase revenue through smarter ad placement, while providing a smoother viewing experience, and gives you the opportunity to more accurately control how ads are integrated into your content.
Image: YouTube
