Get ready to be interrupted even while pausing your videos on YouTube. According to a recent announcement by a Google official, the company is planning to introduce “pause ads” to YouTube. 

Simply put, these are ads displayed when you pause your video to grab a quick snack. While many users will undoubtedly scoff at this idea, Google claims that these pause ads are actually performing well with both viewers in terms of “driving strong brand lift results,” as well as advertisers. 

This feature is currently under wraps, having been tested on smart TVs in select regions throughout 2023. Basically, you pause, your video shrinks, and an ad cozies up next to it. 

There is no information yet on when or if these ads will be making their way to mobile devices. So for now, you only have to worry about them on your desktop or laptop. 

Whether or not pause ads become a permanent fixture on YouTube remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure: Google is always looking for new ways to generate revenue, and pause ads could be the next big thing… or the next big annoyance, depending on your tolerance for mid-break interruptions!

You can read more here.