Several YouTube users recently received a warning message about the use of ad blockers. “Ad blockers are not allowed”, it read. YouTube states that this is an experiment for a small number of accounts, but it hints at a stricter policy. When notified, the user has two options: disable the ad-blocker service or try out YouTube Premium.
Drop in Advertising Revenue
The video site, like other digital platforms, is experiencing a drop in advertising revenue. Therefore, it is not surprising that YouTube has been looking at how many ads are tolerated by its users for some time now. Of course, ad blocker use helps, which YouTube has not yet put a stop to.
The reason for using an ad blocker is clear, according to online responses collected by The Register. “One ad for each video was okay, but [YouTube/Google] got stingy and started setting 30 second unavoidable ads. That made me choose ad-block,” says one user.
That option has been around for a long time. For example, many news sites set up a block when a visitor comes by with an ad blocker. In most cases, temporarily removing or allowing advertising on the specific website is the solution.
YouTube is not running the test for that reason alone. As successful as YouTube Premium is, the platform will continuously be looking for more subscribers. This service allows users to avoid ads and generate revenue in a more direct way for both YouTube itself and content creators.
