We all can’t wait to skip past those annoying ads on YouTube. It has gone so far that most people use ad blockers to go past advertisements on the popular video streaming platform. Unfortunately, those times are in the past as the company has launched a new “global effort” to crack down on users who watch YouTube with ad blockers installed on their devices.
Since most YouTube users are free subscribers and are not willing to pay for a premium subscription, the platform uses advertisements to generate revenue. Ads are YouTube’s largest income source. YouTube does allow premium customers to opt out of ads but its free subscribers don’t want to pay for it. So they use ad blockers, which has been a major challenge for Google’s video streaming platform as it makes it hard for it to generate revenue.
YouTube Blocks Video Playback For Those Who Use Ad Blockers
Back in June, YouTube said it was testing a new feature in the US that would disable videos for some users with ad blockers installed on their phones and computers. Now, the company has expanded the effort on a global scale. According to a post by Android Authority, users with ad blockers installed have found themselves unable to watch videos on the app. It was reported that they received a disclaimer from YouTube for every video they watched with ad blockers turned on.
From now on, whenever a user runs into YouTube’s block, they will see a notice that says their video playback will remain blocked unless YouTube is “allowlisted” or the ad blocker is disabled. It also includes prompts asking users to either “Allow YouTube Ads” or “Try YouTube Premium”. Some users were able to skip the message and continue watching the video, whereas, for others, the platform blocked playback every time they used an ad blocker.
In a statement provided to tech news outlet The Verge, YouTube’s communications manager Christopher Lawton said that the use of ad blockers is considered a violation of the video streaming company’s Terms of Service, leading to the launch of a global effort to bring an end to the practice. He said that ads support a “diverse ecosystem” of global creators and allow billions of users to access their favorite content on YouTube. Lawton is urging users with ad blockers enabled to allow ads or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.
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YouTube Pushing Customers to Opt for its Premium Plan to Skip Ads
This year YouTube made several notable changes to its advertising strategy. In May, the company introduced unskippable 30-second ads on its Android TV app, which has since been expanded to include its smartphone apps. Now the company is testing longer but less frequent ad breaks on its platform.
The trick here is to drive users to sign up for its add-free YouTube Premium subscription. However, a recent $2 price hike and discontinuation of the more affordable Premium Lite plan are making the option less appealing to YouTube’s free subscribers.
YouTube Premium is a subscription plan that offers an ad-free viewing experience with exclusive features like live chat, smart device integration, free downloads, co-watch with Google Meet, early access to new features, and a free subscription to YouTube Music. Apart from individual offers, YouTube Premium is also available as a family plan where the membership can be shared with up to five other family members.
Here are the YouTube Premium offers available in the United States:
- Individual: $13.99 Per Month
- Family: $22.99 Per Month
- Student: $7.99 Per Month
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