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YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

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Re: YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

#61

Post by qwerty456127 »

kuschku wrote: post #50
donatj wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't want my history tracked and suggestions personalized. I am genuinely curious, how do you find videos worth your time without recommendations? 99.9% of what’s on YouTube I have zero interest in, the recommendation engine is how I cull the noise and actually find things to watch.

(I've got a youtube account, but have all history and tracking disabled, and although youtube obviously still tracks me, I never use autoplay or any recommendations) The same way as one did in the past: 1) search for something interesting, 2) look at the videos, 3) if you like a creator, subscribe to the RSS feed for their channel

> if you like a creator, subscribe to the RSS feed for their channel

I find this a totally unusable model to the point I don't understand who the heck pays for paywalled websites (for me it would be a waste because I would only read some 2.5 articles on the same website a year). I just search for a particular subject (maybe also specify the author) whenever I want/need and have time to watch/read something. Subscribe to someone and watch/read everything they would produce? Impossible, I don't have time for this. I watch many new (whom I have never seen previously and probably won't see in future although I liked them and they go on) creators every week.

Re: YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

#62

Post by falcolas »

widerporst wrote: post #59
martindbp wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just pay for YouTube Premium. I'd say it's worth it given how much value I get out of it. Take away Youtube, sure I'm sure there would be good alternatives eventually (with the same ads anyway), but it would leave quite a large hole in my life.

I simply cannot reconcile it with my conscience to not only indirectly but also directly pay a company that now practically operates according to the motto "be evil".

Its more about paying the creators than Google. Premium videos are reportedly worth more to creators.

Re: YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

#63

Post by hooby »

Imho, the big question here is, if there's actually a trend.

Was it easier, 10 years ago, to make money from a website, with just one single (non-animated) banner on top, than it is today with a website that's plastered with animated banners, link ads, and other stuff?

Was it easier, 10 years ago, to make money from a video platform, with just one single skip-able ad at the start of each video - than it is today with 10 un-skip-able ads in front of each video?

Was it easier to advertise your business 100 years ago, with a single poster on a street corner - than it is today with a huge ad-campaign consisting of TV-, Radio- and Newspaper-Ads?

The big question to me is: Does advertising become less and less effective the more people are exposed to advertisements?

Advertisers are measuring the actual effectiveness of their ads, and paying for that only. Therefore falling effectiveness means falling prices and you have to increase the quantity of ads, to earn the same money (and achieve the same effect) as before.

But increased quantity means people are exposed to even more ads, which means they become even less effective. Which leads to even lower prices and even higher quantity.

This can't go on forever... at some point the loss of effectiveness is going to be larger than what you can possibly make up for by increasing quantity. And there's an upper limit - you can't push quantity above 60 minutes of ads per hour.

This can only end with all users either signing up for premium, leaving the service all-together, or using ad-blockers. In all three cases, the ad-business looses.

Are we witnessing the slow death of (online) advertising?

Re: YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

#64

Post by qwerty456127 »

donatj wrote: post #45
qwerty456127 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> just pay for YouTube Premium This would imply signing-in. I don't sign in and reset the cookies regularly because I don't want my history tracked and suggestions personalized. But Okay, I would sign-in and pay, if every video page had a download button and the whole thing would give me an API exposing all the features reliably (so I could use it easily in 3-rd party players with search and suggestions).

> I don't want my history tracked and suggestions personalized. I am genuinely curious, how do you find videos worth your time without recommendations? 99.9% of what’s on YouTube I have zero interest in, the recommendation engine is how I cull the noise and actually find things to watch.

> I am genuinely curious, how do you find videos worth your time without recommendations?

Not without recommendations. I just want the default recommendations directly related to the video I currently watch, ignoring what other videos I watched before.

How do I find? I just search for a particular subject (maybe also specify the author) whenever I want/need and have time to watch/read something.

Re: YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

#65

Post by [deleted] »

donatj wrote: post #45
qwerty456127 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> just pay for YouTube Premium This would imply signing-in. I don't sign in and reset the cookies regularly because I don't want my history tracked and suggestions personalized. But Okay, I would sign-in and pay, if every video page had a download button and the whole thing would give me an API exposing all the features reliably (so I could use it easily in 3-rd party players with search and suggestions).

> I don't want my history tracked and suggestions personalized. I am genuinely curious, how do you find videos worth your time without recommendations? 99.9% of what’s on YouTube I have zero interest in, the recommendation engine is how I cull the noise and actually find things to watch.

[deleted]

Re: YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

#67

Post by LaundroMat »

hooby wrote: post #63

Imho, the big question here is, if there's actually a trend. Was it easier, 10 years ago, to make money from a website, with just one single (non-animated) banner on top, than it is today with a website that's plastered with animated banners, link ads, and other stuff? Was it easier, 10 years ago, to make money from a video platform, with just one single skip-able ad at the start of each video - than it is today with…

Good points.

I also wonder:

- does the overhead cost due to the complexity of advertising (tooling, people, ...) weigh up against the benefits?

- isn't tracking and personalization meant to lead to a decrease in quantity and an increase in quality (in the eyes of the advertiser)? And doesn't that mean that the price of an ad placement should be going up instead of down, because the publisher can offer exactly the audience the advertiser wants?

It can't but all go up in flames one day. Or at least, that's my hope.

Re: YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

#68

Post by emptyparadise »

coreyh14444 wrote: post #16

Folks, just pay for YouTube Premium. In my family, between my kids and myself we watch more YouTube than Netflix/Disney+/Hulu combined so the YouTube family plan is the best value going.

Not paying for my shitty media addiction is the last desperate petty act of rebellion I can do.

Re: YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

#69

Post by anhner »

waihtis wrote: post #42
anhner wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also on Android*, unfortunately. If you want adblocking youtube on iOS I recommend using Safari with the vinegar (paid) extension. (And wipr for general adblocking) ETA: If I remember correctly, Brave Browser also has ad blocking built in. For youtube as well.

A free alternative is Firefox Focus browser which adblocks by default. Problem is it nukes each session after you close it, so not very persistent

I just remembered, I think I heard Brave Browser also blocks youtube ads. Will update my original comment.

Re: YouTube currently testing 5 to 10 unskippable ads before video starts

#70

Post by martindbp »

widerporst wrote: post #59
martindbp wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just pay for YouTube Premium. I'd say it's worth it given how much value I get out of it. Take away Youtube, sure I'm sure there would be good alternatives eventually (with the same ads anyway), but it would leave quite a large hole in my life.

I simply cannot reconcile it with my conscience to not only indirectly but also directly pay a company that now practically operates according to the motto "be evil".

I don't think Google is particularly evil in the grand scheme of things. If that's the bar then there are very few companies that I can buy goods and services from.
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