It looks like YouTube is taking the hard road with ad blockers. In another turn of events, YouTube is taking serious steps against users who are utilising an ad blocker. The platform has asserted in a conversation with the Verge that it is presently doing “a small experiment globally that urges viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium.”
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The announcement followed reports that some users noticed a new popup warning that video playback may be interrupted if YouTube detects recurrent use of ad blocking software. These experiments, which forbid users from watching more than three videos when an ad blocker is installed, were previously reported by Android Authority.
According to Google representative Oluwa Falodun, “Ad blocker detection is not new, and other publishers frequently ask viewers to disable ad blockers.” Before any of their viewing is impacted, YouTube maintains that users will receive repeated messages imploring them to stop using the tools or, instead, subscribe to YouTube Premium.
In an email to the Verge, Falodun said, “We take disabling playback very seriously and will only disable playback if viewers ignore repeated requests to allow ads on YouTube.” Oluwa Falodun further expressed, “In cases when viewers feel they have been falsely flagged as using an ad blocker, they can share this feedback by clicking on the link in the prompt.”
These actions show that YouTube is toughening its stance against ad blockers, and the platform is defending the action by arguing that all of those ad spots are necessary for content producers to receive payment for their work and for the site to continue to be free. According to a statement from the company, “YouTube’s ad-supported model supports a diverse ecosystem of creators and provides billions of people access to content for free with ads.”
By experimenting with a larger ad load in recent years, YouTube has been putting its customers’ patience under more and more strain. Another of the company’s tests from last September included serving up to 10 unskippable clips during a single ad break. And YouTube revealed in May that 30-second commercials would soon be available on TV platforms.
For $11.99 (around Rs. 984) a month or $119.99 (around Rs. 9,844) a year, YouTube Premium offers ad-free access to the service along with some additional perks like offline downloading and YouTube Music Premium. The platform previously declared last year that it had surpassed 80 million total members across YouTube Premium and YouTube Music. As a result, YouTube has every incentive to encourage more individuals to sign up for its recurring monthly membership, even though safeguarding creators’ revenues is a good cause to support.
YouTube, in its email, further said, “We want to inform viewers that ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service and make it easier for them to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.”
Also Read: YouTube to make it easier for creators to dub videos in different languages with AI: Know how
Previously, YouTube had announced certain updates to aid the creators in making their videos more accessible to their audience. This included an easier way to make dubbed videos. YouTube aims to make it simpler for its users to dub their videos in different languages with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI). The platform plans on bringing in the team from Aloud, which is Google’s Area 120 incubator’s AI-powered dubbing service.