YouTube started blocking ad blockers
New experimental feature limits video playback and "offers" a Premium subscription
YouTube has started experimenting with a new “spicy” feature – when an ad blocker is detected, it restricts viewing videos on the platform in the browser and informs you with a corresponding Pop-Up (screenshot above) that “Ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube”. To continue watching content, you need to choose one of two options – allow ads or purchase a YouTube Premium subscription.
Reddit was one of the first to pay attention to the innovation, after which a YouTube representative confirmed that the video service team is currently experimenting with this functionality.
Given the absence of a large number of complaints on social media, it can be assumed that YouTube is currently testing this functionality with a very limited number of users. This could be just the beginning before wider testing.
YouTube regularly experiments with various new features and then makes the final decision to launch or abandon the idea. The refusal to show dislikes also started as an experiment. On the other hand, there are no fewer examples of YouTube abandoning a controversial idea, such as the 4K quality limitation with YouTube Premium subscription. It is not yet known whether Google plans to implement more decisive measures to counteract the use of ad blockers on YouTube.
This is not the first time Google has harmed ad blockers – recent attempts include the transition to Chrome Manifest V3, which was postponed to 2024 after criticism. This new petty trick looks more like a promo for YouTube Premium – after reaching the 80 million paid subscribers mark in 2022, Google promised to make more efforts in this direction in 2023. We can also recall that YouTube’s advertising revenues have been falling for the third consecutive quarter, while the number of ads in Gmail, Play Store, and other Google “free” services has been growing rapidly recently (1 and 2).
An individual YouTube Premium subscription in Ukraine costs UAH 99 per month (student subscription is almost half the price), while the YouTube Premium family plan for 6 people costs UAH 149 per month.
