Pause ads are an innovative, non-intrusive way to reach viewers on Connected TV (CTV). This premium ad format appears on screens when the audience pauses video playback. This uniquely engages users without disrupting their viewing experience, making it an ideal way to capture attention and keep your brand top-of-mind.
This article provides an overview of CTV publisher pause ads. To learn more about YouTube pause ads, refer to YouTube & partners ad formats.
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Benefits
- Complementary and non-intrusive: Show your ads to viewers when they pause what they’re watching. This ensures that the viewing experience isn’t disrupted and makes your brand, product, or service visible in an ideal setting.
- Drive awareness and action: Capture viewer attention and encourage engagement with a clear call-to-action. This keeps your band, product, or service top-of-mind and your ad uniquely engaging.
- Expanded reach: Utilize the benefits of growing watch times and advanced audience targeting capabilities to connect to your target audience and reach more viewers across CTV devices.
Target pause ads
After you’ve negotiated a deal with a publisher, follow the instructions below to create a line item:
- In Display & Video 360, navigate to your campaign.
- Select New line item.
- Under "Line item type," select Connected TV for deals using video creatives or Display for deals using display creatives.
- In the line item settings, locate the "Deals and Packages" section. Add your pause ad deal.
Note: Pause ad inventory is currently available via direct deals. This is with specific publishers. Display & Video 360 plans to expand targeting options for pause ads in 2026.
Availability and limitations
- Publisher availability: Pause ads offerings vary by publisher. To purchase pause ads from another publisher, contact them for availability. Current pause ad partners include:
- Scale: Pause ad is a new programmatic inventory offering, so scale may vary.
- Creative specifications: Review the publisher's technical specifications to determine if image or video creatives are supported for their pause ad inventory.
- Reporting limitations: At this time, only standard reporting is available for pause ads. Display & Video 360 is working to support more detailed pause ad reporting in 2026.
Related links
- Create a line item
- Manage your deals
- Create Connected TV line items
- Reporting discrepancies
- About YouTube pause-ads