Business YouTube viewers outraged after site ‘tests’ banning ad blockers - A chronically incompetent site with a history of making bad decisions makes yet another bad decision

https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/youtube-viewers-outraged-after-site-tests-banning-ad-blockers-2141315/

https://archive.ph/e92a3

Virginia Glaze ❘ Published: May 10, 2023, 18:22 ❘ Updated: May 10, 2023, 18:22

YouTube viewers are raising alarm bells after being greeted with a message saying the site is now banning ad blockers.

YouTube is one of the most popular video-sharing platforms on the internet, boasting an active user base of over 2.5 billion monthly users as of February 2023.

A large number of content creators have made careers for themselves by uploading videos to the site, ringing in a new era of entertainment far ahead of the curve of other influencers on sites like Instagram and TikTok.

Over the course of the site’s existence, advertisements have played a major part in revenue for both the platform itself and its massive catalog of creators. However, many users have complained about the length and frequency of the ads they’ve been seeing — some of which last 30 seconds and are completely unskippable.

YouTube reportedly “experimenting” with banning ad blockers​

Many viewers have found a way to get around ads on YouTube by using ad blockers. Unfortunately, it looks like this method might be going in the bin soon, according to some users who’ve encountered a new feature that the platform is purportedly testing.



In early May, users posted a message they’d allegedly received while attempting to use YouTube with an ad blocker. The message reads: “Ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube.”

“It looks like you may be using an ad blocker,” the message continues. “Ads allow YouTube to stay free for billions of users worldwide.”

The message then prompts users to switch to YouTube Premium, a service it officially launched in 2015 that allows users to bypass ads and even watch with their phones locked in exchange for a monthly fee.

Users aren’t happy with this purported change and took to social media to warn others about the possibility of being unable to watch YouTube with an ad blocker.

“One ad before each video was fine, but they got greedy and started playing multiple unskippable 30-second ads,” one user said on Reddit. “That’s when I went for adblock. There is zero chance I am ever deactivating it or paying for premium now, that ship has sailed.”



“If there’s SO MANY ads that your users are going out of their way to download and use ad blockers, maybe [it’s] YOU’RE the problem, not the people using them,” another said on Twitter.



According to a moderator on the YouTube subreddit, a YouTube employee allegedly confirmed that this is an “experiment” the website is currently running, and has not been rolled out to all users at the time of writing.



Dexerto has reached out to YouTube for comment. For more entertainment news and coverage, check out our page here.

 

[Thiletonomics]

So will we see the same war that Twitch has against ad-blockers, with YouTube?

 

[whogoesthere]

Viewers and content creators hate YouTube and Copyright Holders because you can't even play a video game with the in-game music without getting a strike or muted. YouTube honors copyright claims by random companies against people's own creation.

When you get right down to it: Everyone hates modern YouTube.

Can confirm. I got hit with two copyright strikes, as I used music in a wow video I made. Music I had made, so it was my own creation. UMG was one of them, seems my own music which I own as I am not signed any more is still hit with a strike.

They just claim as much as they can, greedy fucks.

 

[Blood Bath & Beyond]

So will we see the same war that Twitch has against ad-blockers, with YouTube?

The same losing war? Yes. I haven't seen a single ad on Twitch in at least 5 years.

 

[Dysnomia]

I am still yet to see any notice that I'm using an ad blocker on Firefox. Guess my number hasn't come up yet.

Doesn't seem to effect Brave.

No problem for Brave on my end either.

The normie hordes who use the Youtube app on their phones are not blocking ads. I find it hard to believe that the vast majority of users are blocking ads. Those people who don't have accounts and only click the featured videos on the homepage aren't blocking ads.

Just admit that the current system does not work because no one is responding positively to the ads. I can't think of a single time when I've been enticed to buy stuff because an internet ad popped up.

 

[WelperHelper99]

I'll probably just come here or snoop around reddit to find a work around.
Look, I'm not the type to plop a tablet in my kid's hands and walk away, but we'll spend less than an hour a day watching something on one service or another depending on what he wants.
One of the favorites is Bumble Nums, okay? It's really sweet and tame, but kind of funny and mildly educational. I'm only telling you this because we usually watch it on YouTube on the main computer which has adblocker. But this one time at the airport I pulled it up on my phone which does not have adblocker and one of the ads interrupted mid video to show a character that was in the same style as a bumble num in a gimp suit getting whipped by a dominatrix. Absolutely no way of reporting it, or knowing that was going to show up on a kids channel. Anyway, fuck YouTube, I just pay for kids shows on Prime now, but even they are starting with the ads.

That's one thing, the ads are often inappropriate, can't tell you how many gas station bones pills they've tried to sell to me. Worst part is my Nephews watch YouTube, a lot of Minecraft, which they were talking to me and their dad about on the drive home from 4th of July fireworks. Ads are double cancer when it comes to YouTube, and I fear what they've seen

 

[Blacklight]

It would also help if I didn't have to see the same fucking ad 50 god damn times in a row from some obnoxiously acted piece of shit company. If I have to watch another ad for fucking Temu shilling some Chineseium knock off product, or that bearded faggot shilling over priced soap I swear to god

 

[Barry McKockner]

It would also help if I didn't have to see the same fucking ad 50 god damn times in a row from some obnoxiously acted piece of shit company. If I have to watch another ad for fucking Temu shilling some Chineseium knock off product, or that bearded faggot shilling over priced soap I swear to god

Or the ads for fucking mobile games.

Bottom line is they have shit ads and too many ads. You've oversaturated the ads to the point where it's not worthwhile for me to watch anything on your platform. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

I basically use Youtube as an edgier 2000's era Animal Planet these days. Can't really do that with the alternatives, sadly.

 

[SiccDicc]

It would also help if I didn't have to see the same fucking ad 50 god damn times in a row from some obnoxiously acted piece of shit company. If I have to watch another ad for fucking Temu shilling some Chineseium knock off product, or that bearded faggot shilling over priced soap I swear to god

You used to be able to tell them which ads you wanted to see and Hulu even had a survey thing you could choose which product you want to consume so you'd get ads for those. Then they took it away. NOW you have to feed them information of everything you do on your browser if you want to get the stuff that interests you, not just answer a questionnaire.

Silicon Valley can't collapse in on itself soon enough. And get engulfed in lava.

 

[The Big O]

[Laughs in Brave Browser and uBlock Origin]

 

[Barry McKockner]

[Laughs in Brave Browser and uBlock Origin]

That's what they are testing banning users for using.

 

[thunderous ball lightning]

Fuck that shitty website.

yeah, I agree. it used to be good.

Laughs in Freetube, Piped, Invidious, et. al.

https://github.com/digitalblossom/alternative-frontends

youtube HQ on suicide watch.

That's what they are testing banning users for using.

then use a 3rd party youtube app. the most notable, useful, and trustworthy one is revanced extended.

 

[innocent jogger]

Fuck youtube. Imagine if the people that pay for advertising ever discovered what a useless scam it actually is? Advertising, horoscopes and chiropractors...Still scamming $$$ in 2023.

 

[Snekposter]

Fuck youtube. Imagine if the people that pay for advertising ever discovered what a useless scam it actually is? Advertising, horoscopes and chiropractors...Still scamming $$$ in 2023.

They actually slowly are, believe it or not. Its why YouTube is panicking since ads are the only thing keeping it from undergoing total financial implosion.

 

[Sniperwoof]

I can still sneed.

 

[Billy Bob Dick]

for what it's worth, the most recent AdBlock update for Firefox eliminates ads and also evades the YouTube detection algorithm.

 

[ZazietheBeast]

Considering that Youtube is responsible for killing most of my favorite content and creators, they can suck a fat one with their anti-adblock attempts.

Also it would be awfully ironic that youtube loses even more money in pursuing this particular venture than they would have had they simply updated their business model.

 

[Nottafed]

Got hit today, solved with ublock origin (edge) ... Purge cache, update definitions

 

[Alex Hogendorp]

Youtube has fucked with me in the past by bending the knees to advertisers so they have no right to force me to watch their ads.

 

[Kuritan Deplorable]

My computer, my instance of the software, my rules. You can serve all the data you want, its my machine and I get to decide if I want to install components that alter its behavior, and that's already settled law. I look forward to seeing the lawsuit that tries to change that though, it's going to be peak mental gymnastics.