So-called “pause ads” — they only turn up a few seconds after a viewer has decided to halt the programming, and not every time one does — are seeing new movement in the streaming world, with the format appearing more frequently on Hulu since July. Pause ads are also in motion in venues such as NBCUniversal’s Peacock and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max.
Xandr, AT&T’s ad-tech unit, officially unveiled its new pause ads during CES this week, and is now actively marketing the format to brands. Epix, Starz and AT&T Mobility are among the beta partners running pause ads that have been appearing on AT&T Now and DirecTV since the fourth quarter.
