YouTube to remove unskippable 30-second ads in 2018

MANILA, Philippines – As the attention span of people keeps getting shorter, the onus is on content makers and plaftforms to produce leaner material. This is certainly the case for YouTube, which has stated their move to cut the unskippable 30-second ad format from their advertising products in 2018. 

The said ad appears on some videos, forcing users to watch through it before their desired video actually plays. 

In a statement released first on marketing and advertising site Campaignlive.co.uk, Google said that the move was done to provide a better advertising experience on the platform. “As part of that, we’ve decided to stop supporting 30-second unskippable ads as of 2018 and focus instead on formats that work well for both users and advertisers,” a Google spokesman said. 

Simply put, the 30-second unskippable ad may not have been getting a favorable response from users.

In this day and age, that’s a span of time that’s enough for a user to swap browser tabs and focus on something else while they wait for the unskippable to finish. Without the user’s attention, the ad loses its power. It’s also an unattractive format for mobile users who are conscious about their data usage. 

YouTube, however, will not be completely dropping unskippable ads. Six-second, 15-second, and 20-second unskippable ads will remain – with the shortest one looking to be the most effective for today’s restless audience. The move is certainly something that advertisers should start preparing for. – Rappler.com