Google to drop 30-second unskippable ads from YouTube

Ads -- be they on TV, on the web or in apps -- can be deeply annoying, hence the prevalence of ad-blocking software. But there are some ads that you can't always avoid, such as those tacked onto the beginning of YouTube videos; not all ad-blocking software is made equal, after all.

If this is a bugbear of yours, there's good news on the horizon. While YouTube is not ditching ads altogether, the 30-second monstrosities which cannot be skipped are being dropped.

This will be welcomed by YouTube users who have been irritated by having their viewing stalled, and it shows that Google is eager to make the platform work for advertisers as well as users. This is not to say that ads before videos will disappear completely; 30-second ads will probably still exist, but you should be able to skip them after a few seconds. Shorter pre-roll ads will continue to be shown as well.

In a statement, Google says:

We're committed to providing a better ads experience for users online. As part of that, we’ve decided to stop supporting 30-second unskippable ads as of 2018 and focus instead on formats that work well for both users and advertisers.

While there's no definite date mentioned, 2018 isn't all that far away -- but let's hope it's nearer the beginning than the end.