Tag Archives: ad blocker

Business, News

Google Responds to YouTube Skipping Glitch for Adblock Users

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Remember the YouTube meltdown where videos kept skipping to the end for ad blocker users? Conspiracy theories flew faster than likes on a cat video, accusing YouTube of targeting ad blockers. Well, YouTube claims innocence, but the plot twist might leave you reaching for your tinfoil hat (or maybe your credit card).

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Photo by greenwish on Pexels.com

It all started with frustrated viewers, especially those with ad blockers, whose videos were inexplicably jumping to the finish line. The internet buzzed with accusations. Was YouTube, owned by ad giant Google, punishing ad blocker rebels? YouTube scrambled to control the narrative, releasing a statement to 9to5 Google blaming a recent performance update gone awry. They reiterated their stance on ad blockers violating their Terms of Service and, not-so-subtly, encouraged viewers to support creators through ads (or that tempting YouTube Premium subscription).

While YouTube’s explanation seems reasonable, a healthy dose of scepticism lingers. The glitch’s timing, coinciding with rising ad blocker use, feels a bit too convenient. And tech companies have a not-so-stellar track record of using similar tactics to discourage ad blockers. So, is YouTube being entirely truthful?

The YouTube skipping saga highlights the constant struggle between user experience and ad revenue. Ad blockers undeniably impact a platform’s income, but resorting to underhanded tactics to force ad views is a risky PR gamble.

Social Media

YouTube’s War Against Ad Blockers Continues with the Platform Blocking Content Altogether

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The relationship between YouTube and ad blockers has always been a bit… strained. Creators rely on ad revenue to keep making the videos you love, while viewers often find ads disruptive and intrusive. Lately, however, things have taken a turn for the inconvenient, with reports suggesting YouTube might be taking a more aggressive stance against ad blockers.

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Photo by Szabó Viktor

Recent user experiences paint a frustrating picture. Reports indicate that some viewers with ad blockers are encountering issues such as videos automatically skipping to the end upon playback, or being stuck in endless buffering loops. Others describe sound issues, where the video plays with no audio until the volume slider is adjusted, only to be muted again shortly thereafter. While these issues might seem like glitches, the timing coincides with growing reports of YouTube’s new tactic.

There’s no official confirmation from YouTube, but the evidence suggests a deliberate strategy. Disabling videos or making them unplayable for ad blocker users would certainly incentivize them to turn off their blockers and view the ads that generate revenue for creators.

The Creator Conundrum

Many content creators rely on ad revenue to fund their work. Without that income, the quality and quantity of content we enjoy could be impacted. While ad blockers offer a solution for viewers seeking an uninterrupted experience, they can harm the creators who rely on ad revenue to keep making the content we love.

Finding a middle ground is ideal. Perhaps a less disruptive or intrusive ad format could be explored. For viewers who still prefer an ad-free experience, YouTube Premium offers a subscription option. Ultimately, the goal should be to create a sustainable ecosystem that benefits both creators and viewers.

What Can You Do?

If you’re experiencing playback issues with ad blockers, you can try temporarily disabling them to see if it resolves the problem. Keep in mind, that doing so will allow ads to play. Alternatively, consider supporting your favourite creators directly through features like YouTube channel memberships or Super Chat donations.

This situation is still developing, and it’s unclear what YouTube’s long-term strategy might be. One thing is certain: the war between ad blockers and monetization continues, and viewers are caught in the middle. Here’s hoping a solution emerges that allows us to enjoy great content without sacrificing a seamless viewing experience or the livelihood of content creators.

Lifestyle, News

YouTube in Combat of Ad Blockers – Three Strikes and You’re Out

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We love YouTube, and we love using YouTube for all kinds of things. The amount of content you get from YouTube is so vast that you could technically learn everything you need to learn in the modern world on the video sharing platform. With everything we love about YouTube, there is something we also despise about YouTube – ads. While it started out as a simple played out ad at the beginning of whatever videos you want to watch, ads on YouTube have grown to become an irritation.

There is the argument that the number of ads that are being served to us on YouTube is necessary. The ads pay for the platform and help YouTube not just profit, but also pay its various creators for their contents. The ads also help keep the platform free to use for the billions of the world. As much as we hate ads being served to us, it is a necessary evil and quite inevitable to keep the platform from charging us for contents. Except, they sort of do.

There is such a thing called YouTube Premium, a paid membership to YouTube. What that offers you is things like picture-in-picture mode, and open access to YouTube Music, regarded to be one of the biggest official music libraries you can find anywhere. You also pay for the omission of ads when you consume your contents on the platform.

If you still want the free experience on YouTube but without the ads, the only way around them is through using ad blockers. There are several tools and third-party programs that skips and blocks ads on YouTube unless they are baked into the video itself. That means that you are getting a YouTube Premium-esque experience, but without paying for it, which is frowned upon by YouTube, obviously.

youtube cracking down on if youre not paying them to block v0 m8q0ljxlyl8b1
Source: Reddit

In the most recent attempt to battle ad blockers, YouTube is giving users three strikes before completely blocking a user from using YouTube. There are no mentions on whether blocked users will be blocked indefinitely, but the wording leads us to believe that you can be unblocked just by disabling your ad blocker app or algorithm. Obviously if you choose to pay for YouTube Premium, you will immediately be unblocked and given fuss free experience with YouTube amongst other things.

The new measure was spotted by a user on Reddit, interestingly enough. YouTube has not commented on their new measure, but the new measure does make a lot of sense for a company that relies mostly on ads to survive. While it is somewhat aggressive, it could be a necessary step for Google to protect their platform and ensure that it is still profitable.