Bad news for YouTube users who use the video-on-demand platform for free. Google has started blocking those who use ad blockers.
Google has long been at odds with ad blockers, banning ad blocking apps from the Play Store in 2016 and implementing changes to Chrome that could spell the end of ad blocking extensions in the near future. For further, the company seems to have taken new steps on YouTube for some Internet users.
A Reddit user had the nasty surprise of being greeted on YouTube with a pop-up message explaining that ad blockers were not allowed on YouTube and he had the option to sign up for YouTube Premium, the company’s paid formula. The move is likely part of Google’s push to invest more in its subscription offerings in 2023, with YouTube Premium hitting a record 80 million subscribers in 2022.
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Google wants to counter ad blockers
Ads are a big part of Google’s revenue, and YouTube has long relied on this model to deliver videos for free to as many people as possible, so it’s not so surprising to see the company turn the screw.
It remains to be seen if this test will be rolled out on a larger scale, but it looks like YouTube is committed to its ad-based revenue model and wants to make sure that the only way to avoid ads is to subscribe to YouTube Premium. While this is a reasonable business strategy, it risks alienating a large portion of users who cannot afford a subscription, and who are frustrated with the increased advertising burden of these last years.
As a reminder, YouTube Premium allows you to remove ads from the platform, but the subscription is not the most affordable, since you have to pay 12 euros per month in France. Thankfully, Google has started removing some of its most intrusive ads from YouTube. Whether or not Google’s new measures will be well received by the community will have to be seen.