YouTube has been steadily packing its platform with more and more ads so much so that you might soon spend more time watching ads than the videos themselves. Now, the streaming giant plans to take it a step further by using Gemini to display ads precisely during the peak, most emotionally engaging moments of a video.
In a recent blog post, YouTube’s Vice President of Ads Marketing, Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle, introduced Peak Points a new Gemini-powered tool that identifies the most meaningful, or “peak,” moments within popular YouTube content to place ads where audiences are most engaged.
In one example, Gemini accurately identified the peak moment of a couple’s marriage proposal and placed an ad at that exact time. The goal isn’t to create suspense, but to show ads when viewers are most emotionally receptive.
Alongside Peak Points, YouTube also unveiled Shoppable CTV, allowing users to interact with ads and purchase products directly while the ad plays. While these features may be crucial for keeping the platform profitable, it’s clear that the free version of YouTube is becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy.
There’s an ad at the start of every video, mid-roll ads during playback, and ads before the video ends. You get ads if you pause, and more ads if you just let the video run. Plus, there are banners and ad placements all over the interface. At this point, YouTube Premium isn’t just a choice it’s a necessity if you want to escape the ad-heavy chaos of the free version.
