YouTube has confirmed that now ads could fill up users’ paused screentime too. A spokesperson released a statement saying they have “widely rolled out Pause ads to all advertisers.” 

When the video is paused, an ad will pop up on the side of the screen 

“This is seamless for viewers and allows them to learn more about a brand. It’s been a beneficial update for the entire YouTube ecosystem and one of the elements of the modern CTV ads experience,” the spokesperson added. 

The pilot for this had begun in 2023 with a small group of advertisers, but early in April this year Google chief business officer Philipp Schindler shared that the test had proven to be monetarily beneficial to Google and to ad firms.

Last week, Reddit users started posting that the pause ads were already being rolled out widely, a report by 9to5 Google stated.

Pause ads can ofcourse be avoided if users have a YouTube premium subscription. 

Last year, YouTube also introduced unskippable ads.