YouTube is not exempt from the tough time the tech sector is going through. As a result of the present drop in ad revenues, the online video sharing platform is making significant platform modifications. These adjustments include a rise in the quantity of video advertisements and an emphasis on drawing more users to the premium Premium subscription. That’s not all, though. According to reports, the business is now also taking harsher action against customers who use ad-blockers to get rid of commercials but do not pay for paid subscriptions.
A brief about some users of YouTube are being told to disable their ad filters or purchase a Premium subscription as a result
A Reddit member recently raised notice to the fact that Google’s YouTube is imposing limitations on users who use ad blockers by capping the number of videos they may see. A snapshot of a pop-up notification given by YouTube to viewers who have enabled ad blockers was included in the post.
The YouTube warning informs viewers that the platform would restrict their video viewing to just three videos if they do not turn off their ad blocker. “Video player will be blocked after 3 videos – It appears that you may be using an ad blocker,” the message reads. Unless YouTube is enabled or the ad filter is turned off, video playback will be prevented.
The message also emphasizes how crucial adverts are to YouTube’s ability to keep its billions of users across the world accessing the service for free. It implies that viewers can enjoy YouTube Premium’s ad-free experience while still allowing artists to profit from their subscriptions. “Ads keep YouTube accessible for billions of users worldwide for free. With YouTube Premium, you can remove adverts while still allowing creators to benefit financially from your membership, the statement continues.
Notably, users will only have two choices after seeing this notice on YouTube: turn off their ad blocker and allow commercials to be seen, or sign up for YouTube Premium to get rid of all advertisements.
Additionally, YouTube has formally acknowledged this crackdown and said that these messages are a test. The business urges users to either permit platform ads or think about using YouTube Premium as an alternative. According to a statement obtained by BleepingComputer from YouTube, “We’re running a small experiment globally that encourages viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium.”
YouTube has also stated that, in “extreme cases,” the company may temporarily restrict playing if users disregard the message and refuse to disable their ad blockers. However, the corporation guarantees that this action will only be taken if users repeatedly refuse to allow adverts on YouTube.
If viewers continue to use ad blockers, playback may be temporarily blocked in extreme circumstances. We take disabling playback extremely seriously, and we won’t do so unless users repeatedly refuse to let advertising run on YouTube, the business added in a statement to the outlet.
According to YouTube, viewers can continue watching videos on the platform with advertisements or can remove ads by purchasing a YouTube Premium subscription.
Notably, YouTube has not yet confirmed the number of nations taking part in this trial or the identities of those who are viewing these warnings. The recent crackdown, though, comes after YouTube’s earlier “small experiment” that got underway in May and saw the firm start outright barring ad blocker users from using the website.
Notably, YouTube is seeing a sharp increase in its Music and Premium subscribers despite a reduction in income. According to a Variety article, the platform has more than 80 million paid customers overall (as of the end of 2022), an enormous increase of 30 million from the 50 million the business had previously stated.
