• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 6, 2023

The Rolling Stones on Wednesday for the first time livestreamed an interview on YouTube with Jimmy Fallon to talk about the iconic band’s forthcoming album, "Hackney Diamonds," scheduled for release in October -- their first album of originals in nearly 18 years. 

The interview, livestreamed on YouTube, exemplifies the importance of Google’s media and the popularity it has achieved in terms of reaching the general public. 

When asked about the gap since "Blue & Lonesome," their album of blues covers released in 2016, Mick Jagger said, “we've been on the road most of the time, maybe we were a bit too lazy, but then we said, 'let's put a deadline' to release another album."

The band cut 23 tracks, which were mixed in February, before deciding on the final 12 to include on the album.

As livestreaming becomes more popular on YouTube, advertisers will become even more attracted to the media. With the popularity will come more advertising options.

YouTube today also announced new advertising experiences being testing on connected TV (CTV) that aim to modernize and improve the experience for viewers. 

The experiences include fewer ad breaks on longer content that minimizes average interruptions for viewers. 

YouTube also added a countdown timer that indicates when the ad break ends or when viewers can skip an ad. 

The way viewers watch YouTube has evolved. While the company believes it continue to lead the way in mobile watch time -- with YouTube Shorts being watched by over 2 billion users every month -- watch time on the big screen continues to grow. In fact, in the U.S., 65% of YouTube CTV watch time is on content that is 21 minutes or longer, the company said. 

To provide the best experience for viewers, ads must also evolve.

It's also an acknowledgment that the way viewers watch YouTube has evolved. In order to provide the best experience for viewers, YouTube has determined that the ad experience must also evolve.