YouTube tests image ads that do not pause horizontal mobile playback
YouTube is trying static image ads that appear on part of the screen during landscape viewing on mobile. The format behaves like neither pre-roll nor mid-roll: the video does not stop, the content is not replaced, the image surfaces over the playback and repeats roughly every three minutes.
The video keeps running, the ad appears over it
Per a Search Engine Land report dated August 7, 2026, YouTube is testing sponsored static images shown on part of the screen during landscape playback on mobile devices. Per the report the format works differently from traditional pre-roll or mid-roll video ads: the image does not pause or replace the content being watched.
The frequency was shared as well: the image ads appear roughly every three minutes during playback. The placement sits on part of the screen so as not to interrupt the viewing experience entirely.
The test was first spotted by PPC News Feed founder Hana Kobzova. The report notes that Google has not confirmed whether the feature is part of a limited test or planned for a wider rollout.
What the source says and what it does not
What is clear in the source: the format is a static image, it appears during horizontal mobile playback, it does not pause the video, it repeats roughly every three minutes and it occupies part of the screen.
What is absent matters just as much. How advertisers would buy this inventory, which campaign types it attaches to, how measurement works and how pricing behaves are not in the report. We do not guess at those here.
Geographic scope is not stated either. The report does not say which countries or user segments the test runs in, so there is no information on whether it appears in Türkiye.
With no official statement from Google, this is a test observed in the field as of now. There is no guarantee it becomes general. Many formats YouTube has trialed were withdrawn before a wide rollout. That last line is our note.
An ad that does not interrupt may also be an ad that is not noticed
The logic of the format is clear: an ad that does not stop the viewer bothers the viewer less. The biggest cost of unskippable mid-rolls is breaking the flow of viewing, and this format removes that cost. That assessment is ours.
The same property can work the other way, though. An image appearing on part of the screen while the video continues sits at the edge of attention rather than its center. A mid-roll has to be watched, this image can be ignored. As annoyance drops, noticeability may drop with it.
Third, the creative side. An ad that appears every three minutes, carries no sound, does not move and occupies a small area demands a completely different creative discipline from a video ad. Brand, offer and call to action all have to be legible in a single still. That is closer to poster design than to video production.
Fourth, measurement. In a format that does not pause the video, the definition of a view gets blurry. Was it served, was it seen, was it remembered? With no measurement detail in the source we leave that as an open question.
What it means for businesses in Türkiye
The assessment below is not in the source, it is our reading. The report contains no Türkiye specific information.
Given that YouTube viewing here happens largely on mobile and to a significant degree in landscape, a format like this becoming general would open visible inventory for local advertisers. As of today there is nothing to act on though. What exists is an observed test, not a buyable product.
For anyone wanting to prepare, the real work sits in creative. Whether your brand reads in a single still image, silently, in a small area is a question you can ask today. The answer applies well beyond this format, to display network and social media visuals alike.
Practical suggestion: open your current ad visuals on a phone screen, scaled down and with the sound off. Is the brand clear within three seconds, is the offer legible? If not, the problem is not that the format is new, it is that the creative is too crowded.
The UNALSOFT take
On the advertising management side we do not recommend rushing budget at formats still in testing, since most of them disappear before a general rollout. What each new format does is ask the same question again: what does your brand say in the smallest space, in the shortest time, with no sound? Answer that once properly and you are ready whichever format arrives. We apply the same discipline in our ad film work: first the message that holds in a single frame, then the motion.
Sources
Search Engine Land, YouTube tests image ads during horizontal mobile playback
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