YouTube announced on Apr. 19 that it will introduce new features aimed at reducing the number of advertisements shown during livestreams, following feedback from users about excessive ad interruptions.
The update is significant for both viewers and content creators, as many had expressed frustration over lengthy and unskippable ad breaks that disrupted live interactions. The company said the changes are designed to preserve the collective experience of livestream audiences.
According to YouTube’s official blog post, one new feature will reward users who support creators by purchasing Super Chats, Super Stickers, or gifts. These supporters will receive ad-free moments immediately after their transaction, allowing creators to thank them in real time. For general viewers, YouTube has introduced a system that detects peak engagement in Live Chat and automatically holds back ads for everyone during those high-energy moments. “There are those moments when the entire chat explodes with energy,” the blog post stated. “To protect that collective vibe, our system now recognizes when Live Chat engagement is at its peak and automatically holds back ads for everyone.”
The move comes after reports of widespread backlash regarding frequent 90-second unskippable ads on livestreams—a problem YouTube previously described as a bug but has since addressed with these new measures.
While it remains unclear exactly when ads will appear if not during peak engagement times, previous reporting indicated that YouTube may use its artificial intelligence bot Gemini to place ads directly after major interaction points within streams.
Details about how long these ad-free periods last or how often they occur have not been specified by YouTube. However, according to industry observers, the update appears already active across many channels.
The changes mark an effort by YouTube to balance revenue needs with user satisfaction and could influence how other platforms approach advertising during live content.
