YouTube is testing this new Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature for live mid-roll ads in an experimental effort to make ads less of a buzzkill during live streams. It’s being rolled out over the next few months and it lets creators run ads without interrupting the live stream.
Instead of yanking you out of the stream for a full-screen ad, these ads pop up in a smaller window, letting you keep watching the live content at the same time.
Right now, it’s only showing up for a few folks on certain devices, but they’re planning to roll it out more widely soon.
For creators, this could be a game-changer. They can still bring in ad revenue without annoying their audience by interrupting the stream. It also provides an incentive for streamers to stream more often, for longer periods. The longer you stream, the more ads run, and the creator makes more.
YouTube’s seen some good results with this kind of ad setup before, with some creators pulling in over 20% more in-stream ad revenue. It seems like YouTube’s trying to find that sweet spot between making money and keeping viewers happy—maybe even cutting down on the urge to use ad blockers during live streams. |