YouTube is further tightening its policy against ad blockers, by displaying pop-ups and blocking the playback of videos, in order to encourage users to subscribe to its Premium paid plan. And even in France now…
Google’s tests spotted this spring to neutralize ad blockers on YouTube unfortunately seem to have borne fruit! More and more Internet users are complaining about the famous and annoying pop-up window that asks them to deactivate them, including in France according to the first testimonies on social networks. On Reddit, user VitiaCG asks “how to remove this b****”, posting a screenshot. In the comments, everyone has their own solution, whether it’s paying YouTube Premium, changing your ad blocker – apparently, Ublock Origin and Ghostery allow you to escape this for the moment – or using a modified version of the service. It’s a long game of cat and mouse that begins between Internet users and the Internet giant, determined to recover its shortfall.
Ad Blockers: YouTube toughens its tone against ad blockers
Like many internet users, you probably use an ad blocker – an app or web browser extension that detects ad codes and automatically blocks them before they have time to load ads. A way to make your navigation much more pleasant, without being constantly bombarded by dozens of pop-ups and other invasive banners, and to further protect your personal information. As for videos, Ad Blockers allow you to remove ads that are triggered before or during viewing – in total, they can last several minutes for a single video! In short, they are essential, particularly on YouTube, as Google derives a large part of its revenue from advertisers.
Unfortunately, Ad Blockers may soon no longer work on the platform. In fact, some users had the unpleasant surprise last May of seeing a pop-up telling them that ad blockers are not allowed and that only three viewings without adverts were now possible. This was a testing phase, with Google looking for the right mix to force users’ hands without frustrating them. From now on, as had already been spotted of Reddit users last August, theThe firm has developed a much more annoying pop-up… And the cases seem to have multiplied since then.
Ban on Ad Blockers: blocks of at least 30 seconds
Most people using YouTube are used to having their views interrupted by commercials – what a joy to have your meditation session ruined by an ad for a video game! To avoid this inconvenience and not resort to the paid YouTube Premium subscription, the best solution is to use ad blockers. In addition, Ad Blockers protect the privacy of Internet users by blocking cookies and other advertising trackers, which Google loves. Suffice to say that this does not help the Mountain View firm, especially at the moment!
This seeks to almost aggressively push its Premium offer, at almost every connection, with pop-ups offering to subscribe to the subscription. Additionally, messages indicating that ad blockers are not allowed are becoming more annoying. “It appears you are using a blocker. Videos will be blocked from playing while the blocker is enabled. Ads allow YouTube to be used for free by billions of people around the world”, specifies the page. Two buttons offer either to unblock the platform’s ads, or to subscribe to YouTube Premium, the paid subscription which allows you to do without the latest ones. The problem is that this window can no longer be closed directly by clicking on the small cross. A timer has been placed on the window and prevents the Internet user from closing the tab for 30 to 60 seconds, a long enough time to wonder if an ad blocker is really useful.
Banning Ad Blockers: highlighting YouTube Premium
In this period of inflation, many companies in the high-tech sector are experiencing serious difficulties. Google is no exception and had to lay off no fewer than 12,000 employees in January 2023. The company is therefore seeking to optimize its revenues and, to do so, is banking on advertising. She also made the decision last May to insert more ads in Gmail – we now find them right in the middle of our emails, and no longer only in the “Promotions” and “Social Networks” sections. To replenish its coffers, Google has therefore imposed more advertising on YouTube. “We’re running a small, global experiment that encourages viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium“, explained the company spokesperson to BleepingComputer last May. “Ad blocker detection is not new, and other publishers routinely ask viewers to turn off ad blockers.”
This blocking is therefore a way of pushing users to opt for the YouTube Premium subscription at 12.99 euros per month, which removes advertisements, allows videos to be downloaded for offline and background playback, and gives access to the music streaming service YouTube Music – the offer has already attracted more than 80 million users worldwide as of November 2022. Google is seeking this to be the only way to avoid ads on the platform.
A decision which should please content creators, who will see their remuneration increased, but risks frustrating users, who are starting to get seriously annoyed by the increase in advertising in recent years and who have not the means to pay for such a subscription, especially in times of inflation, when prices are increasing on all sides. This wouldn’t be so bad if there weren’t several minutes of uninterrupted commercials and multiple ads before the video, not to mention ads that interrupt the meditation videos and music, making them completely useless! But Google’s solution could encounter some difficulties in the long term. Indeed, Ad Blockers publishers are used to platforms and sites seeking to thwart their tools. Also, there is no doubt that they will quickly find a way to get around these restrictions. The Internet is like a Lernes hydra: every time we close a site or delete a tool, two reappear!