YouTube bans masthead ads for politics, alcohol and bets

The world’s biggest video-sharing platform will no longer allow political or election ads in its coveted masthead spot at the top of the site’s homepage nor ads for alcohol, gambling and prescription drugs.

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.