Calling all monetized creators! Starting in November 2023, YouTube will take a more hands-on approach with ad placements on your videos. Instead of allowing you to select the ads you want to show, such as pre-rolls, post-rolls, skippable, or non-skippable, YouTube will make those decisions for you. Not only that, YouTube will decide when the ads are shown and who they’re shown to across the world.
This means you won't have to manually insert video ads anymore; YouTube will place them along the best possible timestamps, effectively doing the hard work for you. But why is this happening?
It seems like YouTube is optimizing the viewer experience while ensuring that creators make the most money possible. It’s a win-win because creators will spend less time placing ads and (potentially) earn more ad revenue overall. But more on that later!
If you're concerned about how this might affect your watch time, YouTube has some insights. Their data suggests that enabling non-skippable ads can increase revenue by 5%, with only a minor decrease in watch time of less than 1%.
Additionally, activating pre-roll ads can potentially boost revenue by over 15%, with a watch time reduction of less than 5%.
So, yes — watch time will take a small hit, but the tradeoff is that you can make more money in the long run. This video has all the details, so give it a watch if you need more information about the update.
While these changes offer a streamlined approach, it's worth noting that the ad settings of your existing videos won’t change. And for those who want to use mid-roll ads, you still have the option to place those manually.
For those who frequently livestream, there are updates in that arena as well. Creators can choose to let YouTube determine the optimal times for mid-roll ads during streams or set regular intervals, such as every 6, 8, or 10 minutes. However, if you're using third-party streaming tools, like StreamYard, be aware that they might not support these new ad features (yet).
These changes won’t impact every creator. But it's good to understand them as you navigate YouTube, the new ad settings, and the monetization goals you’ve set for your channel.
Lydia Sweatt is a writer, bookworm, and bass guitar enthusiast. When she goes outside, a bicycle goes with her.
