YouTube TV Addressing Bug Causing Some Members to Experience Unskippable Ads on DVR-Recorded Programming
YouTube TV’s DVR offering is great… when it works. The service is one of the few live TV streaming platforms that offers unlimited DVR storage, plus the ability to record any number of shows at the same time. However, at the moment YouTube TV’s DVR is not functioning as intended for many YouTube TV customers.
Some users have noticed that their recorded shows are not fast-forwarding or rewinding through commercials properly. Episodes and movies shown on-demand on YouTube TV feature unskippable ads, but ads on recorded content should offer the ability to be passed over.
Engineers from YouTube are already working on the issue, and the company has promised a fix is forthcoming soon. But it’s already too late for some users, who have also noted that the ads they can’t skip have overwritten part of the recording that they actually wanted to see.
YouTube is continuously experimenting with ways to serve ads to customers, so this bug could have been part of yet another test of some kind. In June, YouTube TV began placing advertisements on the zen screenshots that pop up when users tried to skip commercials while watching live TV channels.
Standard YouTube users are also seeing more unskippable ads, at least on smart TVs. In May, the service began introducing mandatory 30-second commercials for YouTube Select videos on connected TV devices. It was a shrewd business move, considering more than a third of adults between 18-44 watch YouTube on their smart TV at least once per month.
Users may cluck their tongues when they see a media company trying to figure out ways to show them more ads, but it’s all part of the cycle that makes offering video possible for outlets. Ads are being seen by more viewers than ever, but revenues are still down, and content providers who rely on such revenues are going to do whatever they can to help throw advertisers a bone.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $72.99/month. This plan includes local channels, 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets. The service includes an unlimited DVR. The Streamable does not recommend YouTube TV. Consider DIRECTV STREAM for a better channel lineup or Hulu Live TV for its free Disney Bundle.