YouTube used its Brandcast 2025 20th birthday celebration to announce the launch of Peak Points. Built using Google’s Gemini to identify the ‘peak, or ‘most meaningful’ moments in YouTube content, Peak Points can ensure that ads are shown at the optimal time where the viewers engagement or emotion are at their peak. This innovation will enable YouTube and creators to increase the revenue they generate from ads, an unsurprising application of AI technology given the platforms reliance on advertising revenue and its need to best rival streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu, and maintain its dominance against Twitch and TikTok.
So it seems as though YouTube are ushering in a new era of ‘BRB’ AI-enforced cliffhangers, in an otherwise ‘on-demand’ world. In marketing, we always talk about right audience, right message, right channel, right time, maybe YouTube have nailed it with Peak Points? Perhaps this will drive users to subscribe to their ad-free experience, YouTube Premium (at a monthly cost of £12.99 in the UK)? But one has to wonder, is there a danger to disrupting the user experience here? Could it create a negative sentiment towards the advertised brand, due to annoyance caused by rudely interrupting their viewing pleasure? Time will tell, will Peak Points push or pull? We’ll be monitoring the situation with interest.
If you’d like to explore using Peak Points to promote your brand let’s talk.