Monetize your live stream: How to set up ads on YouTube during live streams

FILE PHOTO: Video streaming platform YouTube recently enabled an option that allows creators to monetize their live streams by allowing slots for ads that play as picture-in-picture. | Image credit: Special Agreement

Video streaming platform YouTube recently enabled an option that allows creators to monetize their live streams by allowing slots for ads that play as picture-in-picture. This move could further boost the platform's advertising revenue. YouTube generated $8.66 billion in advertising revenue in the quarter ending June.

According to Statista, video live streaming ranks fourth on the list of most popular video types in the last quarter of 2023, after random videos, music videos and viral videos.

How can creators set up ads in live streams?

If a channel has been monetized and the creator has enabled monetization for live streams, YouTube allows them to set up ads in their videos. Live streams can contain three types of ads: pre-roll ads, mid-roll ads, and display ads.

Pre-roll ads play before the live stream begins and can be viewed on both computer and phone. These can also be automatically turned on for live streams. Mid-roll ads play during the live stream and can be set up manually or automatically. Display ads can then play alongside or above the content video and are only visible on the computer.

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Given the increasing popularity of live streams, YouTube is experimenting with granting or removing certain ad controls for creators.

Last November, the platform took away some rights from creators when choosing whether they want pre-rolls, post-rolls, skippable or non-skippable ads. The platform judges how long viewers have watched ads and how many times an ad interrupts a video before making the decision.

However, creators can still control when mid-rolls run or automate them. They can also choose a “self-selected mid-roll frequency” option and also skip or delay them if needed.

Most developers usually had pre-roll and post-roll ads enabled, as well as skippable and non-skippable ads, and made it a point to mix pre-roll and non-skippable ads with others to make more money.

If you are a creator, you can follow these steps to start mid-rolls for a live stream:

Open YouTube Studio > Click Create, then Go Live > Start a live stream now from the Stream tab or schedule one from the Manage tab > Click Edit, then turn on Monetization > Choose your live ad settings

You can tell YouTube to automatically insert midrolls into your content and choose the frequency between conservative (lowest display frequency), balanced (medium frequency), and aggressive (highest frequency).

Creators can also choose the time interval between these ads between 6, 12, 18, 24 or 30 minutes or manually select where they want to place the ad breaks. They can also select automated ads and then manually insert more ads from the Live Control Room as well.

Once this is done, you can click “Next” and set up the live stream.

Creators can also set up mid-rolls so they don't disrupt a crucial moment in the video by going to the Live Control Room and clicking “Delay Ads” in the top right.

This will delay the mid-roll by 10 minutes. Just before the display resumes, a five-second countdown will appear in the Live Control Room.

You can also choose default monetization settings for your future live streams using the channel-level settings in the Live Control Room.

Advertising revenue for live streams

Creators can now also make informed decisions about which formats to focus on by looking at a breakdown of their advertising revenue for their content, as well as data on the types of videos viewers have watched elsewhere.

In addition to setting up ads, creators should also ensure that their live streams are high quality and flexible, allowing audiences to adjust the quality according to network conditions. They should also offer multistreaming to achieve a wider reach, allowing the live stream to be broadcast simultaneously on multiple platforms, including Facebook.