Non-skippable in-stream video ads are a great way to deliver a complete message to your audience. These ads play before, during, or after other videos and can't be skipped. To ensure your ads are shown in the most effective way, Google Ads supports different ad durations depending on the device and location.
For your Non-skippable in-stream ads, you can use 3 distinct ad formats:
- Bumper ads: Videos up to 6 seconds long.
- Standard non-skippable: Videos between 7 to 15 seconds long.
- 30-second non-skippable (CTV): Videos 16-30 seconds long that are shown on Connected TV (CTV).
How non-skippable in-stream ads appear on YouTube
Desktop
Mobile
TV screens
Available assets
| Asset | Guidelines |
|---|---|
| YouTube video URL | The link to your YouTube video. The URL can be any standard video uploaded to YouTube. The video must be public or unlisted and comply with our advertising policies and requirements. |
|
Final URL |
The URL that people reach after clicking your ad. It should match what your ad promotes. Learn more about final URLs and tracking templates. |
| Display URL | The website address that appears in your ad. It's typically the URL of the site or page you're advertising. The display URL must match the domain that people visit when they interact with your ad. |
| Companion banner | A companion banner is an image that appears next to your ad on desktop computers. You can choose to have an auto-generated companion banner (based on info from your YouTube channel) or upload a 300x60 JPEG, GIF, or PNG (150 KB maximum). Learn more about how to Create a companion banner for a video ad. |
Ad specifications
Your video must be uploaded to YouTube and set as public or unlisted to use in an ad.
Check the specification details below.
Requirements: Minimum of one video
|
Recommended |
Accepted |
Callouts |
|
| Resolution |
1080p (Full HD) Recommended pixels (px) for HD:
|
720p (Standard HD) Minimum px:
Minimum pixels for SD (Standard Definition):
|
For optimal quality, we don’t recommend using SD. |
|
Aspect ratio |
|
|
For optimal quality, we don’t recommend using SD. 30-second video assets must be horizontal. Square or vertical assets will not be able to run. |
|
Format |
.MPG (MPEG-2 or MPEG-4) |
.WMV, .AVI, .MOV and .FLV .MPEG-1, .MP4, .MPEGPS, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm and HEVC (h265) |
Audio files like MP3, WAV, or PCM files on YouTube aren’t accepted. |
|
File size |
≤256 GB |
- |
- |
|
Length |
|
|
If ad is ≤:06, it will run as a Bumper |
|
Headline |
≤15 characters |
- |
If you have a CTA, ≤10 characters |
Supported Google Ads objectives
- Awareness and consideration (only within the “Video ad sequence” subtype)
Available bidding strategy
Target cost-per-thousand impressions (tCPM)
With Target CPM bidding, you set the average amount you’re willing to pay for every thousand times your ad is shown. We'll then optimize bids to help get as much unique reach as possible. Some impressions may cost more or less than your target.
Target CPM bidding is available when you create a Video campaign with the “Video reach” or “Video ad sequence” subtype.
Reporting
Metrics
The following video metrics aren't available for non-skippable in-stream ads:
- TrueView views
- TrueView view rate
- TrueView average cost per view (CPV)
For all other standard video metrics, learn more About YouTube ads and view metrics.
How to check ad formats in your reports
You can easily check which ad format is running in your reports. Use the Segment menu and select Ad format to break down your performance data by “Bumper” and “Non-skippable in-stream” ads with breakdown of subformats like Standard non-skippable and 30-second non-skippable (CTV). This helps you understand how different ad lengths are performing within your campaigns.
Third-party measurement
Third-party measurement is only available through Ads Data Hub. Learn more about the process for third-party measurement on YouTube.
Policies
Non-skippable in-stream ads must follow Google Ads policies and YouTube policies.
