TrueView Video Ads give viewers choice and control over ads

Advertising is what allows many of YouTube’s most creative video producers to keep producing their great material - it directly funds their creative process. And advertising is evolving. Increasingly, we’re seeing the distinction between advertisements and ‘regular videos’ blurring as advertisers start to make ads viewers want to watch.

We think that giving viewers a choice of which ads they want to watch means it’s even more likely that they’ll be engaged with the ad, and that advertisers will get their messages across to the right person. So YouTube has introduced a new kind of ad, known as TrueView Video Ads, which you’ll start seeing on the site today. It works like this: when you see an ad start to play, look for a 5-second countdown button that will allow you to “skip” it. If the ad doesn’t seem relevant or engaging to you, skip it and continue to the video you wanted to watch. Not every ad you see will have this “skip” option but we are working to bring you more choice and control in advertising where possible.

More compelling ads and viewer choice about which ads to watch (and whether to even watch an ad) means a more engaging, interactive, customized experience for both viewers and advertisers -- a true win-win for all.

If you’re an advertiser, please visit our InsideAdWords blog for more information on this announcement.