YouTube ad-blocker users, brace yourselves for a new viewing experience: blank screens that last anywhere from 6 to 30 seconds.
READ: Navigating Amsterdam’s Waterways: A Canal Cruise Experience
YouTube
Several YouTube users have reported on social media that, when using ad-blocker extensions, they are now greeted with black screens before their videos play. These black screens appear for the typical duration of a YouTube ad or pre-roll, before finally transitioning to the video content the viewer intends to watch.
Recently, YouTube has ramped up its efforts to circumvent ad-blockers, which have traditionally allowed users to bypass ads and jump straight to their desired video content. Now, it seems that even with ad-blockers, viewers will face a waiting period before their content plays, which partially undermines the effectiveness of ad-blockers.
YouTube’s Push for Premium and the End of Ad Blockers
YouTube has never been a fan of ad-blockers, as ads are a crucial revenue stream for both the platform and its content creators. Last year, Tube intensified its crackdown by prompting ad-blocker users to subscribe to YouTube Premium, another revenue source for the company.
For $13.99 a month, Tube Premium subscribers enjoy an ad-free experience through official channels, providing revenue for YouTube and its creators while allowing users to skip ads legally.
YouTube Premium has achieved notable success, surpassing 100 million paying subscribers earlier this year. Despite this, many viewers still use ad-blocker extensions. In response, YouTube has recently started testing server-side ad injection to further undermine ad blockers.
What Does Server-Side Ad Injection Mean?
Previously, Tube delivered ads as separate media components. Ads were shown before the main video, which could be blocked by ad-blockers, allowing users to bypass the ads and proceed directly to their content.
With server-side ad injection, Tube integrates the ad directly into the main video feed. This means that ad-blockers can no longer differentiate between the ad and the video stream; both appear as a single continuous stream. Initially, ad-blockers acknowledged that blocking ads would be more challenging but still possible. However, based on current user experiences, it seems that while ads can be blocked, they cannot be skipped.
If you haven’t encountered the black screen yet, it’s likely because Tube’s server-side ad injection has not been fully rolled out across the platform. As it stands, the most reliable way to avoid ads on YouTube may soon be through YouTube Premium, at least until new workarounds for ad-blockers emerge.
-
-
-
-
