YouTube bans handful of topics from its masthead advertising space

Google owned YouTube announced that it will no longer sell ads related to political, alcohol, gambling or drugs prescription in its coveted masthead spot at the top of the site's homepage, according to the media reports.

As per the reports, In an email to advertisers, YouTube said the change built on its move last year to retire all full-day masthead ads. It said it has retired these full-day reservations, like the one then US President Donald Trump reserved to dominate its homepage on Election Day 2020, and replaced them with more targeted formats.

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"We regularly review our advertising requirements to ensure they balance the needs of both advertisers and users," a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We believe this update will build on changes we made last year to the masthead reservation process and will lead to a better experience for users," he added.

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Google paused political ads around the 2020 US elections after the Capitol insurrection that took place on January 6, 2021. The company maintained this ban until the day after President Joe Biden's inauguration to prevent its policy over sensitive events.