In YouTube TV, you can use a range of ad formats to engage your customers in different ways. The following video ad formats are available for purchase and eligible to serve on YouTube TV:
- Non-skippable in-stream ads
- Skippable in-stream ads
- Bumper ads
Before you begin
Make sure that your ads comply with the Google Ads policies, YouTube policies, YouTube TV policies, and any applicable partner ad guidelines, including our network partners.
Ads that are eligible to serve on YouTube TV are subject to creative review to make sure that they comply with our policies and any applicable partner ad guidelines. If the review indicates that your ads don’t satisfy our partner's ad guidelines, your ads won’t serve on that partner's YouTube TV channel.
How it works
The available YouTube TV ad formats can be booked and purchased on a reservation basis through YouTube Select reserved media placement, Display and Video 360 Instant Reserve, or Google Ads auction, depending on the ad format.
Non-skippable in-stream ads
These ads play before, during, or after other videos. Viewers don't have the option to skip the ad. The following are the available ad lengths:
- :15 seconds or shorter
- :30 seconds
- :60 seconds
Learn more about non-skippable in-stream ads specifications.
Availability and serving
Both the 30-second and 60-second ad formats are available in the YouTube TV Lineups, including YouTube TV Live Sports Lineup through the following:
- Google Ads auction
- YouTube Select reserved media placement
- Display and Video 360 Instant Reserve
YouTube-hosted creatives and Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) tags are also supported on both the 30-second and 60-second ads.
All non-skippable in-stream ads are eligible to serve across cable TV on live YouTube TV content, which includes live and digital video recorded (DVR) content.
Skippable in-stream ads
These ads play before, during, or after other videos. After 5 seconds, the viewer has the option to skip the ad. The following are the available ad lengths:
- :15 seconds or shorter
- :30 seconds
Learn more about skippable in-stream ads specifications.
Availability, serving, and metrics
Skippable in-stream ads are available and eligible to run on YouTube TV through the following:
- Google Ads video campaigns
- Display and Video 360 YouTube and partner line items
- Display and Video 360 Instant Reserve campaigns
Currently, skippable in-stream ads are unavailable through YouTube Select.
Skip rates and impressions will vary based on your campaign settings. Since skip rates on YouTube TV tend to be lower than skip rates on YouTube, view-through rates are more likely to increase.
Bumper ads
These ads are 6 seconds or shorter, and play before, during, or after another video. Viewers don't have the option to skip the ad.
Bumper ads aren’t limited to mobile viewing. These ads have scaled to TV screens through YouTube with the same efficient impressions and reach and are also eligible to serve on YouTube Select Connected TV (CTV) Lineup.
Ad review process and serving
The ad review process on YouTube TV follow the same process as YouTube Select. Most ads are reviewed within one business day, but more complex reviews can take longer. If your ad is under review for more than 2 full business days, check your ad’s status. If you need your ad reviewed by a particular date, submit the ad several days in advance. Learn more About the ad review process.
If your ads served, there may be instances that your ads may get cut short due to the following:
- There’s an “early exit” to return to the program, which usually happens with breaking news or sports timeouts that get cut short.
- The ad length is longer than the allowable duration. For example, your ad is 15.5 seconds and was uploaded for a 15-second non-skippable in-stream ad. However, if you’ve uploaded an ad that’s close to the expected duration (15.5 seconds instead of 15 seconds), we can automatically help trim your ad’s length.
- Note: Your ads will not serve if they’re outside the expected ad length.
