YouTube Launches Side-by-Side Ads for Livestreams

YouTube’s rolling out a new ad option for livestreams, with side-by-side mid-roll ads, which will now be displayed on eligible CTV and web broadcasts.

As you can see in this example, YouTube’s side-by-side ads are designed to be less disruptive, by minimizing and moving the main playback window, then playing the ad in its own display.

As explained by YouTube:

“The ad will run alongside the livestream within the video player. The audio of the stream will be muted while the audio from the ad plays, then the video player will expand back, and the audio of the stream will be restored when the ad break has ended or the ad has been skipped.”

So it is still somewhat disruptive, in that the audio will be taken over by the ad content. But YouTube needs to make it as appealing as possible to ad partners, while this will also provide another monetization opportunity for live-stream creators in the app.

Live-streams have become a bigger focus for YouTube of late, with YouTube looking to add more features to entice popular users to connect with their audiences through live broadcasts.

Its main addition on this front is “Jewels,” which enables viewers to purchase digital stickers that they can apply during a live stream, with a percentage of the sticker purchase price then allocated to the streamer.

YouTube also recently added the ability for livestreamers to take breaks during a broadcast, while it’s also looking to emphasize more live content to users.

So why the focus on livestreams?

Because over time, more and more people are consuming live content. In the U.S., over 163 million people watched influencer live streams in 2023, while TikTok recently reported that, in 2024, over 100 million of its creators went live in the app.

The immediacy and connectivity of live broadcasts can make viewers feel closer to their favorite creators, while livestreams also provide more opportunity for social selling, tapping into immediacy and impulse behavior to drive more activity.

Side-by-side ads for live are another step in this direction, adding more incentive to get creators to go live, while also enabling advertisers to tap into this growing segment.

YouTube says that side-by-side ads will be available for all eligible livestreams that are broadcast in normal latency. Creators will need to have the “Let YouTube Decide” mid-roll setting enabled for their content.

More info on side-by-side ads here.