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YouTube Testing Function That Prohibits Viewers Using Ad-Blockers From Streaming Videos

David Satin
David covers the biggest news stories, live events, premieres, and informational pieces for The Streamable. Before joining TS, he wrote extensively for Screen Rant and has years of experience writing about the entertainment and streaming industries. He's a Broncos fan, streams on his Toshiba Fire TV, and his favorites include "Andor," "Rings of Power," and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."
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David Satin

It’s getting harder and harder to dodge advertisements online these days. Streaming services have gotten a taste of ad revenues, and now they all want more, as Prime Video became the latest subscription video service to have it reported that it was preparing an ad-supported plan for launch.

YouTube has long been acutely aware of how important advertising revenue is. As an ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) platform, YouTube depends on money from ads to continue being able to offer its video hosting services for free. That’s why The Verge reports that YouTube is testing a function that pulls up a prompt for users with ad-blockers installed, telling them they could be shut off from the platform unless the blocker is disabled.

“Ad blocker detection is not new, and other publishers regularly ask viewers to disable ad blockers,” Google spokesperson Oluwa Falodun explained to The Verge. “We take disabling playback very seriously, and will only disable playback if viewers ignore repeated requests to allow ads on YouTube.”

The tests indicate that viewers will be blocked from YouTube if they watch three videos in a row while having ad-preventing software installed. Users will be prompted to sign up for YouTube Premium if they prefer to go ad-free; YouTube Premium costs $11.99 per month, or $119.99 annually.

YouTube is clearly looking for ways to expand the user base on its Premium service. Last October, the company performed an experiment in which it placed the ability to stream Ultra-High-Definition 4K videos behind the Premium paywall. YouTube eventually restored the ability to stream 4K videos to free users, but just this month it began testing a higher-bitrate 1080p visual quality that is so far only available to Premium subscribers.

One of the problems the entertainment industry is dealing with as a whole currently is the softness of the advertising market. Most advertisers are struggling these days, and when advertisers struggle revenues become harder to come by. That hurts advertisers and TV and streaming providers who rely on such revenue, which is likely part of the reason YouTube is taking a harder line on ad-blocking software now.

David Satin
David covers the biggest news stories, live events, premieres, and informational pieces for The Streamable. Before joining TS, he wrote extensively for Screen Rant and has years of experience writing about the entertainment and streaming industries. He's a Broncos fan, streams on his Toshiba Fire TV, and his favorites include "Andor," "Rings of Power," and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."
Read full bio ›
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