Youtube is never one to rest on it’s laurels. Introducing new features and innovation on a regular basis, usually designed to make it into a more profitable entity after the massive buyout by Google. The latest innovation though, seems to be designed more for the user than advertiser. Advertisements that can be skipped will be introduced later in the year

Baljeet Singh, senior product manager of Google told a press conference. that not only can viewers skip the pre-roll ads that are embedded in videos, the advertisers will not be charged for those missed commercials. It is obviously a well researched idea as YouTube began studying skippable ads in 2009. “We’ve been playing around with it for the last three quarters and seeing really great results,” Mr. Singh said.

He said that the skip rates varied dramatically based on the quality of the ads. “This is a good sign,” he said, because it will encourage advertisers to invest in compelling ads. He also said that YouTube will offer users a choice of the ads they can see within a video, something he said would be more likely in a longer video.

Mr. Singh’s comments came during discussions toward selling display advertising online. The majority of Google’s ad sales are related to search advertising. Titled “Real-time Bidding, Banner Ads, Google’s Newest Big Business and Burgers,” the event featured presentations by eight Google ad executives. Much of the discussion focused on monetizing YouTube, which is Google’s biggest advertising challenge.

The conference also hinted at a Youtube subscription service to come, after competitor Hulu announced the new Hulu Plus subscription service for watching TV shows on pc, mobile devices, and television sets. Henrique de Castro, vice president of global media and platforms for Google, said that YouTube will eventually “cover the entire spectrum between subscriptions and advertising.”

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