YouTube has unveiled plans to enhance the quality of mid-roll ads, effective May 12, 2025. The platform intends to reposition ads, which some viewers find interruptive, so that they occur at more natural break points in videos. Instead of appearing in the middle of a sentence or during action sequences, these ads will be shifted to moments of pause or transition to lessen disruption to the viewing experience.
Additionally, YouTube will update older videos—those released before February 24, 2025—with automatic ad placements at these natural breaks, even on videos that previously had manually placed mid-roll ads. Creators will have the option to opt out of these updates by visiting the Earn tab in YouTube Studio.
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This change could boost revenue for content creators, as tests conducted in July 2024 revealed that channels using a mix of manual and automatic mid-roll ads saw a 5% increase in ad revenue.
Moreover, YouTube is launching a new feature called “Feedback in YouTube Studio” this week. This tool will notify creators if their manually placed ads are deemed interruptive, enabling them to adjust placements to both enhance viewer experience and optimize revenue.
