YouTube has confirmed that it is testing a mode requiring users to deactivate their ad blocker if they want to access content on the platform.
Is the video streaming giant YouTube about to tighten the screws around AdBlocks? The Google platform, which is already trying to find the right formula by adjusting or removing certain advertising formats to alleviate the frustration of certain Internet and mobile users, is conducting an experiment aimed at asking users to deactivate their ad blocker, under penalty of be held at the entrance of the application.
YouTube launches offensive against ad blockers
A screenshot has appeared on the r/youtube subreddit, and it’s got a lot of reaction. ” Apparently ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube. Is this a new implementation? asks one Reddit user.
The screenshot shows the video service’s logo, along with a bold statement, ” ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube “. Under the latter also appear other details from Google:
- ” It looks like you are using an ad blocker » ;
- ” Ads keep YouTube free for billions of users around the world » ;
- ” You can browse ad-free with YouTube Premium, as creators can still be paid from your subscription “.
So, info or just rumour? The conditional is not necessary here, YouTube having confirmed to several American media the test of this procedure for blocking users from Ad Blockers.
What if YouTube left you no choice?
A spokesperson for YouTube has indeed confirmed these tests conducted by Google, relaying the company’s desire to push some of its users towards its paid formula. ” We do run a small experiment, globally, that prompts viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium “.
If a user sees this notification appear on their device, they have two solutions: they can either authorize advertisements on YouTube and continue to use the application, or try the YouTube Premium subscription plan, which allows, against 11, 99 euros per month (with a possible 3-month trial), to obtain access to YouTube and YouTube Music without advertising. The third option is not glorious, since it is a ban on using the service.
It’s unclear right now where YouTube is specifically testing this metric and whether Google plans to “transform the test,” as any good oval fan would say. But some regulars will undoubtedly face, in the event of a definitive application in the long term, a cruel dilemma, many pointing to the growing number of advertisements in the videos of the platform.
Sources: Reddit, Bleeping Computer
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