Users who try to view a YouTube video while running an adblocker can expect to be greeted with a pop-up alert that warns that such apps aren’t allowed and those users were asked to either allow the ads or choose a paid subscription. Currently, just closing the alert will allow the video to continue, but it is expected that soon anyone running adblockers won’t be able to watch videos on the platform.
“Adblockers are not allowed on YouTube. You can go ad-free with YouTube Premium, and creators can still get paid from your subscription,” the warning noted.
The video-sharing service first started testing the feature in June, and the company has said that ads are necessary to support its community of creators.
“Ads support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and allow billions to access their favorite content on YouTube,” the Google-owned company said in a statement this week.
Swift Backlash
YouTube’s decision to issue the warning has upset a number of users, who have voiced their frustration on social media—with some suggesting they’d ditch the video service before accepting the ads. However, given that there is the premium option, it would seem that may be a short-sighted view to take—especially given that ads do, as YouTube noted, support smaller creators.
“People have gotten accustomed to ‘free’ on the Internet, so change is always difficult,” explained Susan Schreiner, technology analyst at C4 Trends. “Creators, writers and others deserve to be compensated and as platforms experiment with new revenue models—it also seems the era of ‘free’ is coming to an end. Just consider that content creators and the platform make most of its revenue from ads and people using ad blockers prevent them from being compensated and making money.”
Enticing Users To Go Premium
This move by YouTube could also be a way to further promote its ad-free premium option.
“It also seems like YouTube might be experimenting with a new business model with its YouTube Premium,” added Schreiner. “At $13.99 per month, it’s positioned as a practical choice that streamlines one’s viewing experience as well as ensuring uninterrupted and gratifying content consumption.”
Many of the video streaming services have had to raise their subscriptions, but YouTube has long been a platform where users have enjoyed the free option.
“In these times when there is a movement away from ‘free’ as a premium service—there’s a shift towards the onus being on the consumer and forcing the user to make choices,” said Schreiner. “Is it worth it to subscribe to YouTube Premium? If the user relies on YouTube for their entertainment than comparatively it might be a good value since it also includes features such as unlimited daily use, background play for multitasking, seamless cross-device experiences and ad-free viewing.”
However, based on the responses on social media this week, warning users that the adblockers simply aren’t allowed, perhaps wasn’t the best way this could be handled.
“This is a coercive move by Google to force people to pay for an ad-free experience on YouTube or accept the ads and the corresponding targeting and tracking. If you look at this in a privacy context, Google and others are now trying to force people to pay for privacy—see Meta in Europe. In a purely advertising vein, Google doesn’t want to leave any money on the table. It’s less about supporting creators than maintaining ad-revenue growth,” suggested social media analyst Greg Sterling, co-founder of Near Media.
In other words, users can pay, allow ads or simply quit using YouTube.
“There are unfortunately no other options,” Sterling continued. “Nothing online, it seems, is free anymore.”
It is also likely consumers may need to reassess their streaming subscriptions, and choose to retain those that enhance their entertainment experience.
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