YouTube announced that it is making changes to mid-roll ads in order to enhance the viewing experience for users and potentially increase revenue for creators. Starting on May 12, the platform will display fewer ads during moments that feel disruptive, like in the middle of a sentence or action sequence. Instead, more mid-roll ads will appear at natural break points in videos, such as pauses and transitions.

YouTube will automatically add ad slots at natural break points to older videos uploaded before February 24. Creators can choose to opt out of this in YouTube Studio if they prefer to manage their ads manually. However, videos with interruptive ad slots may earn less revenue after May 12, YouTube warns.

Creators placing mid-roll ads manually should consider if their ads are interruptive to viewers. To assist with this, YouTube is introducing a new feature that will indicate to creators if their mid-roll ads would be better suited at a moment with a natural break rather than at a disruptive time.

Additionally, YouTube is encouraging creators who have manually placed mid-roll ads to consider letting the platform’s systems automatically identify other places to show ads for a more balanced ad experience. Those who combined auto mid-roll ads with manual mid-rolls saw over a 5% increase in YouTube ad revenue compared to those with only manual placements.

Reducing interruptive ads will help creators retain more viewers on their videos, YouTube notes.