YouTube announced that from May 12 it will begin reducing the number of ads displayed in the middle of videos when they are annoying or interrupting dialogue sentences or important scenes.

Instead, ads will appear at normal downtime, or at transition moments, the company said on its official website.

YouTube will add automatic ad breaks to natural stops within legacy videos where ads were manually selected, with creators disabling this option.

Creators can choose between automatic, manual, or a combination of ads. For those who prefer manual control, YouTube will provide a new tool to help them see if their chosen ad points are content boycotts.

According to YouTube, this tool will help them choose where ads are displayed most appropriately for viewers.

The company notes that a trial last year showed that videos that used a mix of automatic and manual ads achieved a 5% increase in revenue compared to videos that relied solely on manual breaks.

However, YouTube warns that videos with boycott ads may generate lower revenue after this change, and creators can opt out of Auto ads via YouTube's "earn" tag.

Creators can still choose where ads are within videos, but YouTube has yet to clarify whether choosing manual breaks could reduce the number of ads shown.

YouTube has previously limited creators' control over ads, such as the change it made in late 2023, which eliminated the option to specify that ads are skippable, or to limit their locations at the beginning or end of the video.