That’s why the most recent change announced by YouTube is quite unexpected. Before you jump to conclusions, let’s clarify what’s being changed and what will remain the same. First off, you’re not going to get fewer ads if you don’t pay for Premium, as that would most certainly affect YouTube’s revenue.
However, you will get BETTER mid-roll ads on YouTube. What this means is that YouTube will show more mid-roll ads at natural breakpoints, like pauses and transitions, and fewer ads that might feel disruptive or cause viewers to abandon a video, like in the middle of a sentence or action sequence, at least that what YouTube claims.
Skipping the part where we believe mid-roll ads are disruptive no matter their quality, it’s worth mentioning that these changes will happen starting May 12, 2025.
Now, according to YouTube, older videos (uploaded before February 24, 2025) that have manual mid-rolls will also be updated to include additional automatic ad slots at natural breakpoints.
However, YouTube creators may choose not to use this feature in YouTube Studio in case they prefer to manage their ads manually, but that would probably affect them in a negative way considering the changes to mid-roll ads benefits them.
A new “Feedback” feature is now available in YouTube Studio to help creators with the changes | Image credit: YouTube
YouTube also says that creators who only use mid-roll for their videos won’t be affected by the changes, so they should continue to do what they’re already doing.
There’s a new feature that should be available in YouTube Studio starting this week, which will help creators familiarize themselves with the upcoming changes. A new “Feedback” option should now be available in YouTube Studio that will show creators if mid-roll ad slots are considered disruptive. This will allow them to make changes as needed by placing them at natural breaks.
Last but not least, YouTube announced that it will not enable mid-rolls for videos that don’t have mid-rolls. And yes, if you’re a YouTube creator, the goal of these changes is to improve your overall mid-roll revenue, among other things.
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