YouTube’s war against ad blockers just reached a new level: this time blocking third-party apps
It’s no secret that YouTube has been cracking down on ad blockers for some time. It is all done in an attempt to trick users into accepting advertisements or subscribing to YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.
YouTube at war with AdBlocks (cityrumors.it)
Now it seems like the platform has moved to combat people watching videos on third-party apps that block ads. YouTube announced this change Monday, noting that it “strengthens enforcement” against apps that violate its terms of service. Below, we find out more details.
YouTube escalates its war on ad blockers
YouTube has introduced two new measures in its crackdown on ad blockers. Specifically, it is targeting apps that block ads and deprive the platform’s creators of ad revenue. According to YouTube, anyone uses these apps may experience excessive buffering or an error message which states that “the following content is not available on this app”.
YouTube against Ad Blockers, what changes (cityrumors.it)
Since the beginning of the month, some users say they have received a message when accessing YouTube using an ad blocker. Notify them that this type of extension is not allowed in their browser and gives them 2 options: disable them to enable advertising or pay for YouTube Premium to browse without ads.
The war against ad blockers will likely lead disgruntled users to abandon the platform altogether or pay for the Premium service to avoid excessive advertising. The ad blocking represents a blow to YouTube, which uses ad revenue to support content owners. It also prevents the platform and content creators from earning money.
On the desktop version of YouTube it is still possible to block ads via browser extensions. However, third-party mobile apps that bypass ads are completely prohibited. The company said that users blocking ads also impacts creators’ revenue.
In this context, he states that advertisements are important to finance “free access to the vast library”. The platform wants to prevent ads from skipping while maintaining user satisfaction. For example, YouTube’s TV app has changed its advertising policy. Similar to TV channels, you will now see a single long advert lasting a few minutes between videos.