YouTube Brings Side-by-Side Ads to Mobile Livestreams

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YouTube has taken a key step in how it shows ads during livestreams on mobile devices. The company now shows side-by-side ads where a livestream continues to play while an ad appears alongside it. However, the livestream audio is muted during the ad break. This development is currently rolling out, so you may start seeing it in the coming weeks.

YouTube livestreams on mobile now show ads without full-screen interruptions

As you know, YouTube also shows ads during livestreams, unless the creator chooses to disable monetization. However, this may ruin the viewing experience, as you miss moments while the ad is playing. To address this issue, the company introduced the side-by-side ad format. However, that format was previously limited to desktops and TVs.

Now, YouTube is expanding it to mobile devices as well. For the past few days, users have been seeing this format during livestreams on mobile. The company has now confirmed to Android Authority that this is an official rollout of a side-by-side ad format for mobile devices.

In this format, the livestream does not completely stop covering the full screen with an ad. You will still see the video on the screen while the ads play. This means you remain visually connected to the stream, even during ad breaks. However, there is a trade-off: you won’t hear livestream audio. As such, you have to wait until the ad finishes for the audio to be restored. This is understandable, as the company also wants to shift some attention to ads.

In the support page, YouTube mentions (for creators), “This type of ad will show automatically on eligible streams that have YouTube’s recommended automatic mid-roll ad setting enabled.” Want to get rid of such ads? Well, the only option is to subscribe to the premium plan. The company also offers an affordable Lite plan that promises an ad-free experience on most videos for just $7.99 per month.

Written by

Binay Konwar

Binay Konwar started his blogging journey in 2014 and has since written plenty of tech articles. At present, he is working as a News Writer at SammyGuru, covering everything about Samsung. He holds a Master's degree in Mathematics, but his real passion lies in tech and writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess and watching movies.

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