YouTube pulls ads from more channels over offensive content

Alphabet Inc'sGoogle is making its second attempt in less than a year toprotect advertisers on its YouTube user channels from beingassociated with videos featuring violence, gore or bad language.

Under the new standards, Google will remove advertising froma "significant" number of YouTube channels, 99 percent of whichgenerated less than $100 from ads in the last year, the companyannounced Tuesday in response to advertisers that felt they havebeen underwriting inappropriate material.

Google is vowing to have people review every second of themost popular videos eligible for advertising by the end of Marchworldwide, and it is modifying the prerequisites for having acommercial channel.

"While we took several steps last year to protectadvertisers from inappropriate content, we know we need to domore to ensure that their ads run alongside content thatreflects their values," Paul Muret, Google vice president ofdisplay, video and analytics, wrote in a blog post Tuesday.

The previous round of policy-tightening came after more than250 advertisers cut back on YouTube ad-buying last springfollowing news reports that found their ads displayed alongsideextremist propaganda.

Many brands returned within weeks or months, only to againsuspend dealings with YouTube in the autumn because of headlinesthat linked them to videos in which children appeared endangeredor popular cartoons that had been disturbingly altered. MondelezInternational Inc, whose brands include Oreo cookiesand Ritz crackers, and computer and printer maker HP Incwere among dropouts.

The issues have not affected YouTube's revenue, whichrepresents a crucial growth area for Google, according tofinancial analysts.

Higher bar for ads

Starting Feb. 20, videomakers will need to attract userswatching a total of at least 4,000 hours of their clips withinthe preceding 12 months and notch 1,000 followers before beingable to host ads and share in revenue from them. The requirementintroduced last April had been 10,000 followers with no viewingtime standard.

Booting small channels from advertising eligibility will notfully address concerns raised by advertisers about videomakersgoing too far, YouTube acknowledged in the blog post.

Celebrity video blogger Logan Paul has 15 million followers,but YouTube last week pared back its commercial relationshipwith him after he drew public outrage for showing a suicidevictim in a clip.

YouTube executives said they would "schedule conversationswith our creators in the months ahead" to see "what more we cando to tackle that challenge."