YouTube to Automate Mid-Roll Ads for Improved Viewer Experience and Creator Revenue

Starting May 12, YouTube will place ads at natural break points in videos, aiming to reduce interruptions and increase earnings for creators.

YouTube is introducing automated mid-roll ad placement to reduce interruptions and improve the viewer experience.
The new system will prioritize placing ads at natural break points, such as pauses or transitions, instead of disruptive moments like mid-sentence or during action sequences.
Older videos with manually placed ads will be updated to include additional automated ad slots, though creators can opt out of this change.
Creators using a mix of automated and manual ad placements in tests saw an average revenue increase of over 5% compared to those using manual placement alone.
A new YouTube Studio tool will help creators identify whether their manually placed ads are considered interruptive, encouraging a balance between viewer retention and revenue.