YouTube has been making more effort to combat ad blockers. According to recent reports, users who use ad-blocking software are now seeing black displays on the video instead of ads. This change has an impact on the watching experience and is a part of YouTube’s larger plan to entice people to subscribe to its Premium service.
Black screens instead of ads
When using ad blockers, a number of YouTube users on Reddit (such as OreOfChlorophyte and JazzlikeJackfruit372) have reported seeing blank screens for 6 to 30 seconds where advertisements would usually appear. This move is part of YouTube’s attempts to stop users from using ad-blocking addons to avoid ads. Viewers see nothing but are still required to wait for the same length of time in place of an ad.
Server-side ad injection
A recent method used by YouTube to counteract ad blockers is server-side ad injection. By directly embedding ads into the video stream, this approach makes it more difficult for ad blockers to identify and block them. Before, ads were separate from the main video content, making it simple for ad blockers to get around them. Ads are now incorporated into the video stream before they reach the user’s device thanks to server-side ad injection.
User reactions and workarounds
Users have shared mixed reactions to the black screens. While some find it annoying, others joke that they’d rather see a black screen than an ad. Refreshing the page is one way to get past the black screen, according to one user. Others have pointed out that while not all users have had luck with these modifications, some ad blocks, such as uBlock Origin, have upgraded their filters to address the problem.
A push for YouTube Premium
Users are being encouraged by YouTube to sign up for its $13.99/month Premium service. In addition to other advantages, this subscription provides an ad-free experience.
Since last year, YouTube has been aggressively combating ad blockers and requesting that users either enable advertisements or subscribe to Premium in order to support the platform and its creators. Despite the fact that YouTube Premium already has over 100 million users, many people still choose to use ad blockers in order to avoid paying for advertisements.