YouTube starts showing ads when you pause a video on TV

YouTube is adding a new format for ads on your TV which shows up when you pause the video, and that’s starting to roll out to users.

Back in May 2024, Google announced that YouTube would be getting some new ad formats on TVs, including a format that would place ads on screen whenever the video was left paused. There was no timeline given for when this format would start rolling out, but it appears to be showing up for some users now.

On Reddit and on Twitter/X (via TechIssuesToday), some users have noticed that ads now appear when a YouTube video is paused on their TV.

The UI puts the video in a smaller block with the ad off to the right side of the screen. A “dismiss” button appears below along with an information button. Dunkin’ Donuts appears to be the only advertiser that’s shown up so far, as this is presumably a limited rollout for the time being.

YouTube is also working on longer unskippable ads and advertiser-branded QR codes.

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