YouTube is implementing changes to add more unskippable ads, forcing viewers to wait longer before they can watch videos. By making ads less avoidable, YouTube aims to ensure more viewers are exposed to advertisements, thereby generating more income.
A common sentiment among users and analysts is that these increasingly intrusive ad experiences are a deliberate tactic to encourage more people to subscribe to YouTube Premium, which offers an ad-free viewing experience.
Users have reported encountering unskippable ads that last significantly longer than the typical 15-30 seconds, with some even citing ads lasting minutes or, in extreme and potentially erroneous cases, hours.
It’s becoming more common to see multiple unskippable ads played consecutively before a video starts. There is a strong correlation between users who report extremely long, unskippable ads and those who use ad blockers. YouTube is specifically targeting ad blocker users with these aggressive ad formats, so these ad blockers fail to properly block these new ad types, leaving users stuck.
The consensus among the YouTube community is one of frustration and annoyance with the increased ad load and unskippable nature of these commercials. Many express a feeling that the viewing experience is being significantly degraded. In response, some users are exploring workarounds like casting from their phones, using specific browsers with robust ad-blocking capabilities (like Firefox with uBlock Origin), or even using VPNs, though the effectiveness of these methods can vary.
While YouTube maintains that standard unskippable ads are no longer than a certain duration (e.g., 15 seconds on mobile, 60 seconds on TV), the actual user experience suggests a more aggressive approach to advertising.
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