YouTube Will No Longer Run Overlay Ads on Desktop Starting April 6

YouTube will no longer display overlay ads atop videos that users are watching on the desktop app and web browsers, the company announced in a YouTube Help forum post. This ad format has long been unavailable on mobile devices, too, in favor of pre-, mid-, and post-roll ad formats that can be skipped.

Overlay ads are banner-style pop-up ads that often disrupt content viewed on YouTube for desktop or browser.

"Starting on April 6th, 2023, the "Overlay ads" ad format will no longer appear on YouTube to help improve the viewer experience and shift engagement to higher performing ad formats on desktop and mobile devices. Overlay ads are a legacy ad format that only served on desktop and are disruptive for viewers."

YouTube to Launch an Ad-Free Video Player for Education

It was created specifically for educational organizations that often use YouTube as a platform for learning. Educational institutions will now be able to embed videos on websites without distracting students from the online learning experience.

Recorded News — Tech NewsBradley Rhodes

YouTube also noted that the removal of overlay ads will not have a significant impact on creators as there will simply be a shift toward other advertising formats, but no details on this have been specified yet.

There will be no changes to other ad formats.