YouTube will now show you ads when you pause a video

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In a move that should surprise no one, YouTube has confirmed to The Verge that those lovely ads you’ve grown to loathe will now plague your pause screen. Because what’s a moment of paused tranquility without a reminder to buy something, right?

This isn’t a shock. We’ve been warning you about these pause ads for six whole years. Google first revealed its plans to monetize your paused moments 18 months ago, and they’ve been testing them on unsuspecting viewers ever since.

But now, YouTube’s comms manager, Oluwa Falodun, has confirmed to The Verge that pause ads are rolling out widely to all advertisers. Because who doesn’t love more ads?

YouTube claims these pause ads offer a “less interruptive” experience. But don’t get your hopes up – the company hasn’t promised that your regular ads will appear any less frequently.

And let’s be real, this is the same platform that introduced unskippable ads last year. So, buckle up for an ad-filled future.

The reaction from advertisers has been predictably positive. After all, who wouldn’t want to pester viewers during one of the few moments of respite they have?

But user response has been less than thrilled. On Reddit, users are already expressing their frustration.

One user noted that if pause ads replaced other ad interruptions, that might be tolerable. But let’s face it – they’re just going to be additional ads.

So, what can you do? Well, some ad blockers still claim to work on YouTube. You could try those. Or, you know, you could just watch your videos without pausing.

But let’s be real, that’s not a solution. It’s just YouTube’s latest way to push viewers to the brink of sanity. Because in the never-ending war between platforms and users, it’s clear which side YouTube is on. And spoiler alert: it’s not ours.

The YouTube community is already discussing ways to fight back. One user suggests using a PVR to skip ads quickly, while others express their frustration with the ad-laden platform.

But as one user noted, the problem isn’t just the ads – it’s figuring out where the show starts again after the varying ad times. So, the war rages on.

What are your thoughts on YouTube’s new pause ads? Are you as frustrated as many users, or do you see any potential benefits? We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the comments below.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.