TL;DR
- Google's help documentation lists two Masthead models: CPM, a fixed volume of impressions, and CPH, 100% share of voice for booked hours. CPH is sold only through a Google representative.
- CPM Mastheads can also be booked through Google Ads Reservation or YouTube Programmatic Guaranteed, priced at a fixed CPM plus targeting upcharges, with one country per campaign.
- On desktop the Masthead autoplays for up to 30 seconds; channel art, autoplay and companion videos show only on desktop, and the product feed only on mobile.
- Third-party pixels must come from certified vendors; JavaScript pixels and audience composition pixels are rejected, and brand safety measurement is not supported.
The YouTube Masthead is a reserved, native video ad that appears in the YouTube Home feed on desktop, mobile, tablet and TV screens. Unlike most YouTube ads, it is not bought in the Google Ads auction: advertisers book it in advance, either as a fixed volume of impressions on a CPM basis or as a share of all Masthead impressions for reserved hours.
That makes the Masthead a planning decision more than an optimisation decision. This guide covers how the format is bought, how the pricing models differ, what the placement looks like on each device, which advertisers it suits compared with Video reach campaigns, and how to measure a Masthead flight once it has run.
What is the YouTube Masthead ad
The Masthead is the most prominent paid placement on YouTube's Home feed. Google's help documentation describes it as a native, video-based format shown in the Home feed across all devices, aimed at advertisers who want large reach or awareness and who prefer to plan a buy ahead of time rather than rely on an auction.
Three things separate it from standard YouTube ads:
- Position. It sits in the Home feed, the first screen many viewers see when they open YouTube, rather than before or during another video.
- Buying route. It is reserved. You agree the volume or time window and the price before the campaign starts.
- Creative assembly. The ad is built from a YouTube video plus supporting assets (headline, call-to-action, channel art and icon, optional companion videos), and Google formats it responsively for each screen type.
Because it is reserved, delivery does not depend on winning auctions against other advertisers that day. That predictability is the main reason brands use it for launches, sales events and announcements that have a fixed date.
How the YouTube Masthead is bought
Most YouTube formats, such as skippable in-stream ads, in-feed video ads and bumper ads, are bought through the Google Ads auction. You set a bid strategy and budget, and the system competes for each impression. The Masthead does not work like this.
According to Google's help documentation, the Masthead is bought through reservation channels:
- Through a Google representative. This is the route for every Masthead model, and the only route for the time-based model described below.
- Google Ads Reservation. CPM Mastheads can be booked directly in the reservation side of Google Ads, which quotes and locks the price before launch.
- YouTube Programmatic Guaranteed. CPM Mastheads can also be bought as instant deals through programmatic guaranteed buying.
Two planning constraints follow from the reservation model. First, a Masthead campaign can target only one country, and rates vary by market. Second, the final CPM is not something you discover after the fact. It is shown in the quote during campaign setup, and targeting choices add upcharges to the base rate. Any figure for a specific market should be confirmed with Google sales or the reservation quote at the time of booking, since rates are not published as a fixed list.
CPM vs CPH pricing models
Google's help documentation describes two models: CPM and CPH (cost per hour).
CPM Masthead. You reserve a fixed volume of impressions across the campaign dates at a fixed CPM, with upcharges for targeting. You pay only for impressions that actually deliver, not for over-delivery, and if the reserved budget is not fully used you pay only for what served. Because you are buying a volume rather than the whole placement, other advertisers' Mastheads can run in the same period. CPM is the model that supports the mobile product feed.
CPH Masthead. You reserve 100% share of voice of eligible Masthead impressions during the hours you book. For those hours, your ad is the Masthead for the targeted country. This model is available only through a Google representative. It suits moments where being the only Masthead matters more than reaching a particular audience segment.
| Question | CPM Masthead | CPH Masthead |
|---|---|---|
| What you reserve | A fixed volume of impressions | 100% share of voice for booked hours |
| How it is bought | Google representative, Google Ads Reservation or Programmatic Guaranteed | Google representative only |
| Price basis | Fixed CPM plus targeting upcharges, varies by market | Time-based rate quoted by Google sales |
| Best fit | Reaching a defined audience at scale over several days | Owning the placement for a launch or event window |
Masthead specs and placements on desktop, mobile and TV
The Masthead appears on desktop, mobile, tablet and TV screens. The same campaign is formatted responsively, but the assets that show differ by device, so creative has to work in each context.
Video requirements. The video must be a YouTube video set to Public or Unlisted. Google recommends a 16:9 video at 1920 x 1080 or higher. 360-degree videos are not supported, and YouTube Premieres have limited support. App install campaigns are not supported on the Masthead.
Desktop. The video autoplays for up to 30 seconds, and you choose the start point and duration within that limit. Captions may be added automatically while the video plays muted. Desktop is the only screen that shows channel art, autoplay and companion videos. Companion videos need two unique YouTube video IDs; playlist URLs are no longer accepted.
Mobile. Mobile shows the channel icon and can carry a supporting description. A CPM Masthead on mobile can also include a product feed, which requires a Google Merchant Center account linked to Google Ads and a feed. New feeds can take up to three days to be approved, and square product images are recommended.
TV screens. TV supports a supporting description and the primary video layout choice (widescreen or standard). Reporting on TV is narrower than on other devices, which matters for measurement and is covered below.
Text and links. Each Masthead has a headline and optional call-to-action text. If you use a call-to-action, a final URL is required, and every creative in one Masthead must share the same final URL domain. A click-tracking URL is optional.
Lead times. Channel art and the channel icon are pulled from the YouTube channel itself, not uploaded to the ad. Google advises finalising channel art at least two days before launch and the icon two to three days before. Teams that rebrand their channel for a launch need to do it early, or the Masthead will show the old art. Google also provides a Masthead preview tool to check how the ad renders before it goes live.
Who the Masthead suits vs Video reach campaigns
Video reach campaigns are the auction-based alternative for awareness on YouTube. They are bought in Google Ads, use formats such as bumper, skippable and non-skippable in-stream ads and in-feed placements, and are optimised to reach as many unique people as possible within a budget. Delivery is spread across placements and over time, and you can adjust bids and budgets while the campaign runs.
The Masthead suits an advertiser when most of these are true:
- There is a fixed date that matters, such as a product launch, a sale day, a film release or an event, and the goal is maximum visibility on that date.
- The budget is planned in advance and does not need to be adjusted day to day.
- The brand wants a guaranteed, prominent position rather than impressions spread across many placements.
- The creative is strong in the first seconds without sound.
A Video reach campaign is usually the better fit when the objective is efficient reach across a longer period, when the budget needs to flex, when frequency control across many weeks matters, or when the audience is niche enough that a broad Home feed placement would waste much of the spend. Many plans use both. The Masthead creates a spike on the key day, and auction-based video campaigns sustain reach and frequency before and after it.
To be fair to both options, the Masthead's strength is also its limit. Because the price and volume are fixed in advance, there is little room to optimise mid-flight. If the creative underperforms on the day, the impressions still deliver at the agreed rate.
How to measure a Masthead day
Measurement has to be planned before booking, because some tracking options are restricted on this format.
Native reporting. Google reports impressions, co-viewed impressions, clicks to the video, video viewership at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%, clicks to the website (if a call-to-action is used), clicks to the YouTube channel and clicks on companion videos. On TV screens, reporting is limited to impressions, clicks to video, viewership and clicks to channel.
Third-party measurement. Google accepts 1x1 impression pixels, redirect URLs for website clicks, and third-party measurement of viewability, reach and brand lift, but only from certified vendors, and tracking URLs must start with https. JavaScript pixels and pixels that collect audience composition data are not accepted, and brand safety measurement is not supported on the Masthead.
Remarketing. Remarketing tags are not accepted on impressions. Audiences can be built from YouTube audience lists and video views, and Floodlight remarketing tags are accepted for clicks to play on desktop only.
A practical measurement plan for a Masthead day usually has four parts:
- Delivery check. Confirm reserved impressions (CPM) or hours of share of voice (CPH) were delivered as booked, using the native report.
- Attention. Look at viewership quartiles and co-viewed impressions, especially for TV, where co-viewing means more than one person may have seen each impression.
- Brand effect. If awareness is the goal, set up a brand lift study with a certified vendor or ask Google sales what lift measurement is available for the reservation before launch. Lift cannot be measured after the fact without a control group.
- Downstream signals. Compare branded search volume, direct site traffic and channel subscriptions on the Masthead day against a comparable baseline period. This does not prove causation, but a clear spike on the day is a useful sign the placement was seen.
Build the YouTube remarketing audience from video views during the flight so the attention you paid for can be followed up through auction-based campaigns afterwards.
What this means for advertisers in Thailand
Because a Masthead targets one country per campaign, a Thai campaign is planned and priced for the Thai market specifically, and the quote comes from Google sales or the reservation tool for that market. Thai brands planning around fixed national moments, such as major sale dates or holiday campaigns, tend to fit the reservation model, because the date is known months ahead.
Creative needs Thai-language headlines and captions that read cleanly on mobile, where a large share of YouTube viewing happens, and on TV screens, where the Masthead is seen from across a room. Check the Thai headline in the preview tool on every device type before launch, because line breaks differ by screen.
Planning the Masthead alongside the rest of a YouTube advertising plan, rather than as a standalone buy, makes it easier to follow up the spike with remarketing.
YouTube Masthead FAQ
Can I buy a YouTube Masthead in Google Ads?
Yes, a CPM Masthead can be booked through Google Ads Reservation or YouTube Programmatic Guaranteed, as well as through a Google representative. The CPH (cost per hour) model, which gives 100% share of voice, is available only through a Google representative.
How much does a YouTube Masthead cost?
The cost depends on the market, the model and the targeting, and Google does not publish a fixed rate card. A CPM Masthead uses a fixed CPM with upcharges for targeting, shown in the quote during setup, and a CPH Masthead is priced by Google sales for the hours booked.
Does the Masthead play with sound?
On desktop the Masthead autoplays for up to 30 seconds, and captions may be added automatically when the video is muted. Google's documentation does not describe sound behaviour, so creative should make sense without audio in the opening seconds.
Is the Masthead better than a Video reach campaign?
Neither is better in general: the Masthead suits a fixed high-visibility date with a pre-planned budget, while Video reach campaigns suit efficient reach over a longer period with flexible budgets. Many plans combine both.
Plan the Masthead with the rest of the media mix
A Masthead works best when the auction-based campaigns around it are ready to capture the demand it creates. The Google Ads management page covers search and video campaigns that can run alongside a reservation, and the display advertising page covers the wider reach layer.
