YouTube Combats Ad Blockers: Embeds Ads In Video Streams YouTube is apparently ratcheting up its assault against third-party ad blockers by embedding ads straight into video streams in an effort to increase revenue from non-Premium users.
By Kavya Pillai
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YouTube is apparently ratcheting up its assault against third-party ad blockers by embedding ads straight into video streams in an effort to increase revenue from non-Premium users. This tactic can render the existing ad-blocking browser addons ineffective. The action was taken in response to complaints from users on the Alphabet Inc.-owned platform regarding videos that skip to the finish when ad blockers are enabled.
YouTube is combining adverts with video streams, according to an announcement made on social networking site X (previously Twitter) by SponsorBlock, an addon that lets viewers avoid sponsored parts of YouTube videos. Videos and commercials have always been two different things, with the former stopping the latter at predetermined times.
Ad blockers may find it increasingly difficult to filter out adverts with this new technique of inserting ads straight into the video stream. SponsorBlock expressed worries that by changing all timestamps to include ad durations, this server-side ad integration would interfere with its functionality.
Users complained last month about videos automatically ending if they had ad blockers installed. An issue with watching videos with an ad blocker activated was described in a post on the YouTube subreddit, where the viewer could not skip any parts of the video; instead, the material would fast-forward to the finish. Those who were able to get around this problem discovered that videos played silently, letting them view the information without sound.
These actions are presumably a part of YouTube's larger plan to fight ad blocks on a global scale. YouTube claims that the terms of service of its API services are violated by ad-blocking software, which is usually browser extensions. YouTube underlined its commitment to upholding these standards in a recent community update, stressing the detrimental effects of ad-blocking programs on content producers' capacity to make money off of their creations. The business issued a warning, saying that when attempting to watch videos, users using such apps can experience buffering problems or error messages.
YouTube previously underlined that its adverts allow billions of people to watch content for free globally, emphasizing the significance of paying creators fairly based on viewership. The website invites viewers who want to watch videos without advertisements to sign up for YouTube Premium, which has features including offline viewing, background playback, and ad-free access to YouTube Music.
YouTube reiterated its stance on the use of third-party apps and promised to take the required steps to safeguard its audience, creators, and platform. The business emphasized that in order for third-party apps to continue using its API Services, they must abide by its Terms of Service.
