Where Are the YouTube Ads? (Insert Cricket Sound)

The biggest mystery of YouTube partners (those who share in advertising revenue generated by their videos) is yet unsolved. My post about Sxephil’s reaction generated a lot of discussion, but there’s still a big unanswered question….

Are the YouTube ads missing because advertisers aren’t buying? Or is there a technical glitch prohibiting them?

BrokeEither option is sad news. If YouTube can let its only revenue-producing functionality die, then that doesn’t speak well for the company’s priorities. If advertising inventory is low on the world’s biggest online-video site, that’s a sad statement about the economy or marketer’s recognition of online video.

No e-mails from YouTube. Nothing on the blog. Lots of YouTube partners seeing no Invideo ads, and wondering if they should hold their videos until something improves.

Often our burning questions about a YouTube matters go unanswered because the answer would perhaps create greater scrutiny to the question. However I like the proactive and transparent approach… “Hey guys, we have a problem, and here’s what we’re doing to solve it and prevent it in the future.”

In the meantime you viewers can enjoy your videos without interruption and know that we creators will start holding onto our day jobs a big tighter.

And I’m totally bumming because I finally got Spencer (the Farting in Public kid) back in action yesterday night with “Will You Be My Prom Date?” and it’s currently the #4 highest-rated video of the day. And the recent “Cool Fish!” was seen more than 30,000 times in the past couple days but doesn’t appear to be making money for me or YouTube.

And now I just found out that my stupid “How to Make a Viral Video While Driving” is on the homepage of YouTube. Unmonetized. 🙁

24 thoughts on “Where Are the YouTube Ads? (Insert Cricket Sound)”

  1. dont know if you saw it,or not, i noticed it on my lisa nova video, there is now a check box that asks if you want invideo ads to run, other wise its an ad on the right side above the description

  2. let me clarify that, click edit video, then at the bottom this appears
    Advertising Options:
    Allow InVideo advertising for this video
    with a check box to allow it

  3. I’m sure it’s a glitch that one of the 500 monkeys is scrutinizing right now, then saying “fuck it” and switching his screen back to porn.

  4. Yep- checking the invideo box regularly. Nothing yet. Marquis- at least we have our $2.27 from Revver this year.

  5. I think sukatra hit the nail on the head!

    but I’m also, on occasion if you haven’t noticed, a bit suspicious of big cold hearted corporations and their whiley blood sucking cheating ways so maybe you tube doesn’t have enough ads to go around and rather than having to listen to people scream “UNFAIR!” by giving only a few partners ad revenue they are holding off until they get enough revenue to spread around. you Tube is Not the most forth coming corporation out there.

    The economy is really starting to suck, gas went up .17 in two weeks.
    There’s a Bush in office and that always spells downsizing. Put an ad on your page Kev I’ll click it. It’s just what I am looking for.

    Now I’m off to watch all the sxephil and renetto vids!

  6. Oh heck i didnt say the Check box worked, i just said it is there! what you expect it to work? did you notice the new honors yet? Premium Most Viewed vs Most Viewed, now what is that all about?

  7. I crossed the minimum payment threshold for Youtube/Adcents 17 days ago (no $123.15 check yet but I’m watching the mailbox). Looks like I made it just in time unless Youtube declares “technical bankruptcy.”

    In the next few months, I should be crossing the minimum payment thresholds for VUME, Blip and Revver. With the exception of Revver, I’m going to mount those checks in a wall display. A few years from now, they’ll be oddities, collector’s items I can auction off like rare vintage comic books or rarely printed stamps.

  8. Stats on my most recent video, Thor:

    #35 – Most Discussed (Today) – Travel & Events
    #56 – Most Responded (Today) – Travel & Events
    #7 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Germany
    #11 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Australia
    #14 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Canada
    #8 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – United Kingdom
    #10 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – India
    #8 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events
    #75 – Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events
    #6 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Spain
    #7 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Mexico
    #6 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – France
    #8 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Italy
    #14 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Japan
    #9 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Netherlands
    #5 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Poland
    #14 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Brazil
    #10 – Premium Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Taiwan
    #52 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – Germany
    #71 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – Australia
    #73 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – Canada
    #57 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – United Kingdom
    #55 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events
    #50 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – Spain
    #27 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – Mexico
    #53 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – France
    #67 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – Italy
    #56 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – Netherlands
    #39 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – Poland
    #61 – Premium Most Viewed (This Week) – Travel & Events – Brazil
    #30 – Top Rated (Today) – Travel & Events

    All this means what? That Youtube is charging a premium for my videos on which they won’t place ads?

  9. I havent found out yet but there was talk a while back that youtube would have a pay service in which videos would be high def and featured more in a premium service, maybe they are gearing up for it. i dont know who would buy it? but anything to make money i guess?
    when i get to work i will link a related article to internet advertising that i sent nalts a few weeks ago, now it seems relavant?

  10. Zack:
    Have you not noticed that sukatra curses like a truck driver? But we love her anyway. Because she is clever and witty.

  11. I believe Premium = Partnered videos. The new video page has a check box for “only partner videos” to clear out the japanese pr0n vids ect. Not positive though.

  12. I wonder if You Tube will move in this direction [click]

    Get Paid to Watch Videos – I think it’s some Russian guy- it’s a novel idea, certainly in the short term.

    The question is, what sells more products: those who watch entertaining videos and click on the product because they want to buy or getting paid to watch entertaining videos because you want to buy.

    1. the creator gets paid.
    2. the creator pays.

    This is worth examining I think.

  13. They’ve been bragging about new ad products. Probably has something to do with that.

    I do not think they will move towards “get paid to watch.” That moves toward pyramid-scheme territory and I don’t think Google would want to be associated with something like that.

    I really wish Revver was a viable advertising purchase for clients, they are a HELL of a lot more creator-friendly than YouTube. But I had a video hit a week or two ago on it and it made like $3. That is nothing.

  14. On a side note: reading comments, this blog is really becoming quite the little Who’s Who of online video creators, isn’t it?

    Mr. DeFranco is all over the thing.

  15. peter this blog has always been the place to be, regardless of who posts. Kevin blogs while driving, so buckle up!

    ditto on revver, but there just aren’t enough haters, groin kicks and big boobs on the front page to drive their revenue.

  16. Do any partners know the youtube “recipe” for invideo ads? I used to get them constantly back in March and April on my videos…. Now I see them on occasion, mostly on my most viewed videos. Is there some kind of view requirement to get them or is it just random??

    Great info here by the way.

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