YouTube announced this week that it will now hold back ads during livestreams if chat engagement is at its peak, and if users show support with Super Chat, Super Stickers, or gift purchases. Until now, the only way to avoid seeing ads was by paying for a YouTube Premium subscription.

The Google-owned platform said in a blog post that when a chat explodes with energy, it wants to “protect that collective vibe.” When YouTube’s system recognizes that engagement is high, the platform will automatically hold back ads for everyone.

The idea behind this change is to help creators maintain momentum for viewers without interruptions from ads, the company says.

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

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

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

YouTube also announced that creators can now go live in both vertical and horizontal formats at the same time, with all viewers being able to connect in a single shared chat. The company says over 30% of live watch time in the U.S. came from connected TVs in 2025, which is why it wants creators to be able to customize their streams for all sorts of screens.

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The move comes a few days after YouTube raised subscription prices for YouTube Premium in the U.S. The YouTube Premium individual plan is increasing from $13.99 to $15.99 per month, while the family plan is going from $22.99 to $26.99 per month.

Topics

Apps, Media & Entertainment, YouTube, youtube livestreams

Aisha Malik

Consumer News Reporter

Aisha is a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch. Prior to joining the publication in 2021, she was a telecom reporter at MobileSyrup. Aisha holds an honours bachelor’s degree from University of Toronto and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University.

You can contact or verify outreach from Aisha by emailing aisha@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at aisha_malik.01 on Signal.

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YouTube livestreams will now hold back ads during peak engagement to protect the vibe