YouTube bans masthead ads for politics, alcohol, bets

YouTube is banning several types of advertisers from one of the most prominent spots on its homepage, reports CNN Business.

The video streaming platform said Monday that it would ban ads related to gambling, alcohol, and prescription drugs, as well as political and election ads, from its masthead — the banner displayed at the top of its website and apps, the report read.

"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," a spokesperson for Google said in a statement to CNN Business.

This is the second big change in less than a year to YouTube's masthead policies, after banning advertisers in November from reserving the spot for a full day.

YouTube's policies have come under intense scrutiny in recent years, particularly around its approach to misinformation and hate speech.

The video service was one of three platforms last year to agree to an outside audit of its policies against harmful content, along with Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR), after pressure from major advertisers, said the report.