Google has confirmed that side-by-side ads for livestreams are now rolling out to mobile after launching on desktop and TVs last year.
While the livestream video remains visible during the ad, the stream’s audio is intentionally muted in favor of the advertisement.
The format is designed for automated mid-rolls to keep viewers connected to the broadcast visual without a full-screen takeover.
Yesterday, we reported on YouTube seemingly testing a new concurrent ad format that plays ads alongside a livestream, without disrupting the video (but disrupting the audio). Google has now confirmed to us that side-by-side ads are new on mobile, but have been around since last year on desktop and TVs.
Google pointed us to the launch of side-by-side ads for livestreams on YouTube:
