From user experience research we know that viewers care about the frequency of ad breaks on YouTube, especially when they’re watching for longer periods of time. We also know that the less frequently viewers are interrupted, the more likely they are to continue watching their favorite content and ads.
That’s why we introduced ad pods— two ads served back-to-back. Ad pods are typically served to viewers who watch longer form content to reduce interruptions to their viewing experience. When we launched ad pods in 2018, we saw that users who engaged with multiple ads in an ad break experienced up to 40% fewer interruptions.
Soon ad pods will be eligible to serve non-skippable in-stream ads in addition to skippable in-stream ads and bumpers. With this update, we will continue to minimize viewer interruptions while helping advertisers connect with their most important audiences.
Read more about how evolving user patterns drive new ad experiences on YouTube here.
Posted by Tript Singh Lamba, Director of Product Management