YouTube sells more ad formats than any other platform an agency is likely to use, and the names have shifted over the last two years. Video action campaigns have gone, Demand Gen has taken over a lot of what they did, and the skip button itself has changed. This guide sets out what each format is today, according to Google Ads Help and YouTube's own announcements, checked in September 2026.
Skippable in-stream: the workhorse
Skippable in-stream ads play before, during or after a video, and the viewer can skip after 5 seconds. Google sets no minimum or maximum length. Its own advice is 15 to 20 seconds when the goal is awareness or action, and 2 to 3 minutes when the goal is consideration, where the viewer is choosing to keep watching.
When bought on cost per view, you pay when someone watches 30 seconds, or the whole ad if it is shorter, or interacts with it, whichever comes first. The skip itself is free, which is why the first five seconds matter more than anything that follows: that is the part everyone sees, and it is the part that decides whether you pay.
- Headline: up to 15 characters for the classic skippable format, and a call to action of up to 10 characters, such as Learn more or Shop now.
- In Demand Gen campaigns, headlines run to 40 characters, with at least three required, and a long headline and description of up to 90.
- Videos under 10 seconds will not serve in-stream in Demand Gen, and the minimum video length there is 5 seconds.
The player has changed in small ways. The button now reads Skip rather than Skip Ads, a change reported in November 2023. From October 2024, YouTube told reporters that the countdown before the button appears may show as a progress bar along the bottom of the player rather than a number. The button still arrives at 5 seconds.
Non-skippable and bumpers: guaranteed seconds
Non-skippable ads cannot be skipped, so they are bought on impressions, with target CPM bidding. In Video reach campaigns, the standard non-skippable ad runs 7 to 15 seconds, and a 30 second non-skippable ad, from 16 to 30 seconds, is available on connected TV screens. Google's overview page also mentions non-skippable ads of up to 60 seconds depending on the campaign subtype, which appears to refer to reserved buys.
Bumpers are the shortest format: non-skippable, 5 to 6 seconds, bought on CPM through Video reach, Reservations or App campaigns. Six seconds is enough for one idea and a logo, and not much more. They work best as a reminder alongside longer ads, not as the whole campaign.
In-feed: ads people choose to click
In-feed video ads appear in YouTube search results, in the Watch Next list beside a video, and in the Home and Subscriptions feeds. They look like a video listing: a thumbnail, a headline and up to two lines of text. Nothing plays until someone chooses it, or until it autoplays in the feed.
- Headline: up to 100 characters, though some devices cut it after 25, so the first 25 need to carry the meaning.
- Description: two lines of up to 35 characters each.
- You pay when someone clicks, or with cost per view once at least 10 seconds have played by autoplay.
Because the viewer chooses to watch, the thumbnail and the first few words of the headline do the selling. An in-feed ad with a generic frame from the video as its thumbnail rarely does well.
The masthead: the front page
The masthead is the large ad at the top of the YouTube Home feed on desktop, phones and TV. It is reserved only, bought through a Google sales representative, and priced by CPM or by the hour. On desktop the video autoplays for up to 30 seconds. The text limits are a 40 character headline, a 60 character description and a 15 character call to action. At Brandcast in May 2026, YouTube announced a masthead with a custom content shelf.
Which campaigns run which formats
The format is decided by the campaign type as much as by the creative. From Google's own table:
- Skippable in-stream: Demand Gen, Video views, Video reach, Performance Max, App and Reservations.
- In-feed: Demand Gen, Video views, Video reach, Performance Max and App.
- Shorts: Demand Gen, Video views, Video reach, Performance Max, App and Reservations.
- Non-skippable in-stream: Video reach and Reservations.
- Bumpers: Video reach, Reservations and App.
Video action campaigns no longer exist. Google stopped new ones in April 2025 and upgraded the rest to Demand Gen through 2025 and early 2026. If a client's old account structure still refers to them, it is worth rebuilding the plan around Demand Gen rather than trying to recreate them.
Demand Gen itself now reaches well beyond YouTube: Google describes it as running across YouTube and Shorts, Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Google Display Network, with channel controls to choose among them. Standard Display campaigns are being moved into Demand Gen too, with a migration tool rolling out from June 2026.
Why YouTube matters in the Gulf
Google's own figures make a strong case for the region. A Kantar study it published in October 2024 found that 86 percent of viewers in Saudi Arabia and 87 percent in the UAE say YouTube plays a key role in their purchase decisions. Google put YouTube's reach on connected TVs, as of May 2024, at over 12 million adults in Saudi Arabia and over 2.5 million in the UAE, and its March 2025 outlook cited penetration of 94 percent in the UAE and 89 percent in Saudi Arabia. These are Google's numbers about Google's product, so treat them as the upper end, but the direction is clear.
Choosing a format
- Awareness at scale: skippable in-stream in a Video reach campaign, with bumpers alongside and a non-skippable cut for TV screens.
- Views of a longer film: Video views campaigns, which combine skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts.
- Leads and sales: Demand Gen, with a clear call to action and at least three headlines.
- A launch day: the masthead, if the budget and the timing justify a reserved buy.
The ad mockup generator on this site shows a skippable in-stream ad on a phone's watch page, with the Sponsored line, the Skip button and the yellow progress bar, alongside a Shorts ad and an in-feed ad in desktop search results. The YouTube earnings calculator is useful from the other side of the market, for pricing a creator's channel.
