iWorld
ALTBalaji launches monsoon special #ALTBINGEATHON campaign
KOLKATA: ALTBalaji has introduced its latest monsoon campaign #ALTBINGEATHON to take a fun route to raise awareness around staying safe at home amidst the pandemic and lift spirits by binge-watching ALTBalaji’s entertaining content library.
With 80 per cent of its audience aged below 35 years, ALTBalaji introduces this quirky campaign for the youth that encourages everyone to stay at home safely while giving them a wide variety of captivating content to explore and enjoy, the platform said in a statement.
The OTT platform has also rolled out a social media campaign, reminding people to log into ALTBalaji and binge-watch their shows, amidst monsoons, with an engaging video.
Speaking on the campaign, ALTBalaji’s marketing & revenue SVP Divya Dixit said, “Monsoon is the perfect weather to get into our cozy space and enjoy binge-watching our favourite shows while we relish the rains through the window. #ALTBINGEATHON is a reminder to our audience to go back and watch those shows they always wanted to. With 84+ Hindi original shows across all genres, we want our audiences to be spoiled for choice. We can only promise more and more entertaining content going forward.”
With a strategy to focus on youth programming for the country, ALTBalaji’s offerings include premium, disruptive content and original series across genres. The company boasts of 4.7 million subscriptions during the year and currently has an active subscriber base of over 2.3 million.
iWorld
YouTube rolls out 30-second unskippable ads on smart TVs worldwide
New connected TV format and pause ads push viewers towards longer ad breaks
MUMBAI: Your trusty skip ad button may soon become a rare sight, at least when you are watching YouTube on the big screen. As of March 2026, the platform has completed the global rollout of 30-second non-skippable advertisements for connected TV apps.
The move affects viewers watching YouTube on smart TVs, gaming consoles and streaming devices such as Roku or Apple TV. Instead of seeing two separate 15-second ads that could sometimes be skipped after a few seconds, users are increasingly being served a single uninterrupted 30-second advertising block.
The change is primarily tied to YouTube Select, the company’s premium advertising inventory that features the top 5 per cent of most-watched content on the platform. For advertisers, it offers a more predictable and television-like experience. For viewers, it means settling in for the full half-minute.
Behind the scenes, artificial intelligence is also taking on a larger role. Google’s ad systems now dynamically decide which format works best for each viewer. The rotation may include quick 6-second bumper ads, traditional 15-second spots, or the new 30-second connected TV format depending on the content and audience.
Even pressing pause is no longer an escape from advertising. YouTube has started rolling out so-called pause ads, where the video shrinks on the screen and a static or interactive advertisement appears alongside it when a viewer stops playback.
The strategy reflects how YouTube’s viewing habits are changing. Television screens have become the platform’s fastest-growing viewing surface, and in the United States it now ranks as the leading streaming service by watch time, ahead of major subscription platforms.
There is also a practical reason. Ad-blocking software is far less common on smart TVs than on browsers or mobile devices. By shifting more advertising to the living room screen, YouTube is protecting a crucial source of revenue.
At the same time, the company appears keen to nudge more viewers towards its paid offerings. Longer unskippable ads on the free tier make services such as YouTube Premium and the lower-priced Premium Lite subscription more appealing.
For now, mobile and desktop viewers can breathe a small sigh of relief. The 30-second unskippable format is currently limited to connected TVs, while phones and computers still mostly cap non-skippable ads at around 15 seconds.
So the next time you lean back on the sofa to watch a video on YouTube, be prepared. The ads might just be settling in for the full half-minute as well.
