YouTube live streams will now block ads during peak engagement to protect the atmosphere

YouTube Announce This week, it will now turn off in-stream ads if chat engagement is at its peak, and if users show support through Super Chat, Super Stickers, or purchasing gifts. Until now, the only way to avoid watching ads was to pay for a YouTube Premium subscription.

The Google-owned platform said Blog post That when the chat explodes with energy, she wants to “protect that group vibe.” When YouTube’s system realizes that engagement is high, the platform will automatically block ads for everyone.

The company says the idea behind this change is to help content creators maintain momentum for viewers without being interrupted by ads.

On the other hand, when a fan shows their support through Super Chat, Super Stickers or Gifts, they will be instantly rewarded with an ad-free personal window right after purchase. For context, Super Chat allows viewers to pay to have their messages highlighted, while Super Stickers are images that users can purchase to highlight their messages in chats.

YouTube announced these changes along with other updates for live creators. The company shared that more creators around the world are now eligible to receive gifts from viewers, with gifts now available in Canada, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.

Additionally, viewers can now send GIFs on creators’ horizontal live streams, not just vertical streams, directly from their mobile devices.

YouTube also announced that creators can now live stream in both portrait and landscape formats at the same time, with all viewers able to connect in one shared chat. The company says more than 30% of live viewing time in the US came from connected TVs in 2025, which is why it wants content creators to be able to customize their streaming for all screen types.

This move comes a few days after YouTube Raising subscription prices For YouTube Premium in the US, the YouTube Premium individual plan increases from $13.99 to $15.99 per month, while the family plan increases from $22.99 to $26.99 per month.