YouTube adds shorter, skippable ads to TrueView for Reach

YouTube is adding the option to buy shorter, skippable ads through its product TrueView for Reach.

The ads, which include in-stream varieties such as six-, 10- and 15-second options, will allow users to skip after five seconds. Advertisers only have to pay YouTube if the ads are viewed in full or if users click on the cards that pop up on screen. YouTube said the new ads can help raise awareness and offer 95% viewability rates.

The ads arrive after in 2016 YouTube announced its six-second bumper ads, designed to increase incremental reach and frequency on mobile devices in particular. The company sold the ads through AdWords auction on a CPM basis.

RELATED: Fox Networks to show 6-second ads just like YouTube

“In early tests, Bumpers drove strong lift in upper funnel metrics like recall, awareness and consideration. We also see that Bumpers work well to drive incremental reach and frequency when paired with a TrueView campaign,” YouTube wrote in a blog post.

YouTube offered an update saying that in 70% of cases, the shorter ads offered a “significant” lift in awareness for brands advertising in the spots. YouTube defined that “significant” lift as about 9%.

Last year, Facebook CFO Sheryl Sandberg told Adweek that her company is working with some of its advertisers to develop shorter ads.

On traditional broadcast television, Fox has done some early experimentation with the 6-second ad format, launching several during the NFL game on Thanksgiving last year.

The company said it’s testing the format to gather insights into its role within a broader marketing mix that also includes traditional spots. The company also plans to reduce the overall number of commercial breaks in the telecast “as part of a push to improve the viewer experience across all platforms and bring better attention and focus to brand messaging.”

This article has been updated for clarification regarding TrueView for Reach.