YouTube is experimenting with longer but less frequent commercial breaks on TVs

YouTube is making changes to the way it shows ads in its TV apps. The platform is experimenting, among other things, with advertising breaks that last longer but occur less often.

The new ad units are shown in the middle of a video. Currently, multiple shorter ads are shown, spread across an entire video. YouTube says that videos will be interrupted less often in the new way, which the company believes should improve the viewing experience. The experiments are being conducted on some users in YouTube apps for televisions, such as those for smart TVs and media players.

YouTube parent company Google says that the experimental changes are implemented based on user studies. According to the platform, 79 percent of users prefer longer ad blocks, instead of multiple short commercials spread throughout a video. It is not known how long the new commercial breaks will last. Nicky Rettke from YouTube tells The Verge that this will differ per commercial break.

The video platform will also adjust the countdown timer on televisions. The company is experimenting with a countdown clock that shows how many seconds remain before users can skip the ad or when the ad ends. This is displayed at the bottom right of the screen. The current countdown timer is located at the top left of the screen. The current version shows how many advertisements are shown in total and how long the current advertisement will last.

The current changes are currently in an experimental phase. This means that they will only be available to a small group of users for the time being, YouTube confirmed to The Verge. The changes join previous adjustments that YouTube made to its advertising system. The company introduced unskippable 30-second ads earlier this year. The company is also testing a system that disables videos for users with an ad blocker.

The new countdown clock for ads on YouTube. Click for a gif. Source: Google