YouTube has announced plans to ditch its 30-second unskippable adverts in favour of shorter formats.

Google, which owns the video sharing website, reportedly said it hoped the change would benefit both users and advertisers.

It also suggested that the measure, which will be introduced in 2018, will help make using YouTube more entertaining and engaging for customers.

Alongside the 30-second advert format, YouTube also currently displays ads in 15 and 20 second versions.

It is thought the website will now focus on more longer-length 'bumper' unskippable adverts which take up just five or six seconds.