Google LLC-owned YouTube said today that political ads including election ads will longer be allowed in its prime masthead spot.

The company will also make gambling, prescription drugs, and alcohol ads verboten in the masthead position, telling media that this will improve the experience for users. In view of its efforts quelling public criticism, it’s not surprising YouTube will no longer allow vices up there, though politics is another matter.

“We regularly review our advertising requirements to ensure they balance the needs of both advertisers and users,” a YouTube spokesperson told Reuters. “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.”

In the past, the company allowed full-day reservations for the slot, which was met with controversy in 2020 when former president Donald Trump rented it for a few days during the election. Soon after, YouTube announced that this option would no longer be available and instead the place would be reserved for targeted advertising.

At the time, YouTube said this change was not related to politics, although that’s debatable. The spot certainly worked in regard to getting eyes on an ad, given the fact more than a billion hours of content is watched on the platform every day. According to reports, that one-day masthead ad cost $2 million for each day.

Over the last few years, like other social media companies, YouTube has come under scrutiny for how much harmful content pervades the platform. Last year, YouTube, along with Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc. agreed to outside audits in an effort to keep advertisers happy. It seems this latest change to masthead advertising is also in line with keeping harmful content at bay.

In terms of advertising revenue, YouTube seems to be in a good position right now. For the first quarter, the company reported a 50% increase in ad revenue from the year before, to just over $6 billion. That was one of the reasons for a healthy first quarter for Google overall.

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