The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: YouTube Bans Masthead Ads for politics, alcohol and bets

Alphabet Inc's YouTube 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, has it said.

In an email to advertisers, seen by journalists at our partner news agency Reuters, 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-President Trump reserved to dominate its homepage on Election Day 2020, and replaced them with more targeted formats.

"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," they added.

Google said that the change to its most prominent ad unit, which was first reported by Axios, was effective immediately.

Google paused political ads altogether around the US presidential election and again ahead of President Biden's inauguration in January this year, citing its policy over sensitive events.

The team at Platform Executive hope you have enjoyed this article. Automatic translation from English to a growing list of languages via Google AI Cloud Translation. Initial reporting via our official content partners at Thomson Reuters. Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford. Editing by Howard Goller.

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