YouTube bans election, alcohol and prescription drug ads from its masthead
YouTube is banning several types of advertisers from one of the most prominent spots on its homepage.
The video streaming platform said Monday that it will ban ads related to gambling, alcohol and prescription drugs, as well as political and election ads, from its masthead — the banner displayed at the top of its website and apps.
“We believe this update will build on changes we made last year to the masthead reservation process and will lead to a better experience for users,” a spokesperson for Google, which owns YouTube, said in a statement to CNN Business.
The news was first reported by Axios.
This is the second big change in less than a year to YouTube’s masthead policies, after banning advertisers in November from reserving the spot for a full day.
YouTube’s policies have come under intense scrutiny in recent years, particularly around its approach to misinformation and hate speech. The video service was one of three platforms last year to agree to an outside audit of its policies against harmful content, along with Facebook and Twitter, after pressure from major advertisers.
Google also announced a moratorium on political ads ahead of last year’s US presidential election, which was expanded after the Jan. 6 US Capitol riots and lifted in February this year.
