Google is finally responding to Youtubers' frustrations and making huge changes starting in 2018. The search giant will be removing the Youtube 30-seconds ad that cannot be skipped including TrueView. This move will not please advertisers, but given the rising popularity of video services, it desperately needs to keep their users engaged.
Youtube depends heavily on the revenues provided by third-party advertisers. For this purpose, Google has employed varying lengths for Youtube ads to be featured. Two years ago, the search giant also announced that it will be supporting 360-degrees ads to entice more advertisers. So it comes as a big surprise the announcement made by Google yesterday regarding stopping a particularly lengthy ad.
Google has officially announced that it will be removing the 30-seconds unskippable ads, which will take effect in 2018. Instead, it will be exploring and experimenting with other formats that will suit both users and advertisers. As to why Google has made the decision has not been disclosed but it has been speculated.
Observers say that advertisers may have complained that users are skipping videos with longer Youtube ads, which cost advertisers more. It could be because many users have voiced out their frustrations of having to go through the ads that do not interest them just to watch a video. It could also be that Google is panicking at the plans of Facebook to feature more videos as part of its core roadmap as expressed by Andrew Peake, managing director of an integrated creative agency, the VCCP.
Peake adds that removing the Youtube 30-seconds unskippable add may be the price Google is willing to pay just to keep people to continue posting and watching videos as reported by Campaign. It is a known fact that Google has been hard-pressed to monetize the platform.
Last October, Youtube CEO Susan Wojcicki revealed that video site is far from lucrative and is in still "investment mode." Advertisers may still make use of other formats like the 15 and 20-seconds Youtube ads. Youtubers may also see more of the 6-seconds unskippable ads that were rolled out for mobile less than a year ago according to BGR.
