YouTube automates ad review process to boost creator earnings

YouTube is introducing automatic human reviews for its ad placement assessments to help creators earn more from their content. The platform will automatically review videos that receive a "Limited or no ads" rating to catch any errors and improve accuracy.

Initially, this update will apply to a small group of creators, with plans to expand it over time. The review process assigns videos a green (fully monetised), yellow (limited ads), or red (no ads) rating, with yellow-marked videos previously requiring a manual review request. With this change, YouTube will conduct those reviews automatically, ensuring more videos get properly assessed and monetised.

This update benefits YouTube in three ways: it increases ad inventory, creates more monetisation opportunities for creators, and refines YouTube’s automated review system with additional human oversight. Though it requires more manual work, YouTube sees it as worthwhile for boosting ad revenue.

The move aligns with YouTube’s broader push to maximise ad placements. Recently, it also announced an increase in mid-roll ads across videos, including older ones, to generate more revenue. This could be part of a strategy to balance potential losses from a more affordable, ad-free YouTube Premium plan.

Ultimately, this change aims to help YouTubers earn more while allowing YouTube to optimise its ad revenue without being overly disruptive.