YouTube is making changes to how mid-roll ads are displayed, aiming to enhance the viewing experience while helping creators maintain or even increase their revenue. Starting May 12, the platform will reduce the number of ads that interrupt videos at awkward moments, such as mid-sentence or during intense scenes. Instead, ads will be placed at more natural breakpoints, like pauses and transitions, making them feel less intrusive.

This update will also apply to older videos uploaded before February 24, with YouTube automatically adjusting their ad placements. Creators who prefer to manually manage their ads can opt out through YouTube Studio, but YouTube warns that videos with disruptive ad placements might generate less revenue after these changes go into effect.

For creators who manually insert mid-roll ads, YouTube is introducing a new tool that helps identify whether ads are placed in a way that disrupts the viewing experience. If an ad is positioned at an inconvenient moment, the system will recommend a more natural placement that improves audience retention.

To further refine the ad experience, YouTube is encouraging creators to consider allowing its automated system to place mid-roll ads for them. According to YouTube, creators who used a mix of both auto-placed and manual mid-roll ads saw an average revenue increase of over 5% compared to those who only placed ads manually.

Despite these changes, YouTube assures creators that they will still have full control over whether they want mid-roll ads and where they should be placed. The goal is to provide better insights and tools to help creators optimize ad revenue without sacrificing viewer satisfaction. By making mid-roll ads less frustrating, YouTube is aiming to keep both creators and audiences happy while maintaining a strong monetization model for video content.