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YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

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Re: YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

#851

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Youtube premium also includes other features, such as ability to download videos to view offline (e.g. flights). But I also feel like you have an incorrect unstated assumption: People are not perfectly rational. The difference between paying $0 and paying $1 is ENORMOUSLY bigger than the difference between paying $1 and $12. C.f. people will spend hours finding the perfect app that is also free , instead of just payi…

Pirating YouTube videos with a third-party downloader also gives me the ability to download them for offline use, and see no ads.

I don't judge you, but when I actually can pay for a product that is as good as (or better) than pirated, then I don't mind paying.

For youtube I can. So I do. It's just a shame that so many industries give you a worse product than what you can pirate for free. I actually am willing to pay.

Re: YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

#853

It is not just about youtube. The whole internet is bloated with ads right now, and the vast majority of them quite the opposite of discrete. I just cannot browse the internet without adblocker, it is too slow, but more importantly too distracting. I could count the times that I have found an internet ad interesting in my lifetime using half the fingers of one hand. Personalised or not, the vast majority is useless,…

What people mean when they say all these things is that, "I can easily access things I want for free, so why would I ever pay?"

Yes some people give voluntarily through donations or Patreon, but it's a tiny amount of the actual number of people who derive satisfaction from the content.

The best solution for someone who hates ads is a subscription model. The thing that bothers me is that publishers still collect massive amounts of data and sell it, and some continue to have advertising or product placement. Give me ads or give me a completely untracked experience for a fee. Don't do something in between and claim that it's ad-free.

Re: YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

#854
post #794

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ad-blocking also gives you similar if not more extra security to anti-virus software, with fewer downsides (faster not slower). I'm afraid the ad ecosystem is so big that occasionally, threats slip through.

Performance and security may be my primary reasons for using an ad-blocker, but I must also admit that I would not remove the blocker even if those issues were addressed. On the rare occasion that I have used a computer without an ad blocker, I have found that advertising is so intrusive that I would rather not use the web.

This is why I don't read news articles on my phone. It's absolutely ridiculous what publishers do with ads

Re: YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

#855

It is not just about youtube. The whole internet is bloated with ads right now, and the vast majority of them quite the opposite of discrete. I just cannot browse the internet without adblocker, it is too slow, but more importantly too distracting. I could count the times that I have found an internet ad interesting in my lifetime using half the fingers of one hand. Personalised or not, the vast majority is useless,…

I think the core issue is: * People don't like ads, because ads suck * Youtube offers premium, an ad-less experience Never have I seen self-entitled people so furious as when YT requests they buy premium in order to remove ads. What, should YT be hosted for free without ads and without a subscription? I get that ads suck and companies suck, but self-entitled people suck too; most of us here are devs and we get paid b…

I don't like ads and I don't mind paying. What I don't like is paying for an ad-free experience and my data continuing to get mined. I consider companies entitled if they demand to have both my data and my money

Re: YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

#856
post #749

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>YouTube Premium fails because the content isn't worth paying for. I beg to differ. As a hobbyist type, and also someone interested in semi trashy niche content (true crime), having access to a virtually unlimited catalogue of fresh content, a lot of it exceptionally good quality, makes it absolutely worth the money. If I could have any one subscription, it would be YouTube 10 times out of 10. And as someone who abho…

Yeah, I'm the same. I spend hours on youtube, in fact we don't have any streaming or cables subscription and I don't miss it. The content is fantastic IMHO. I would pay for this one service. I'm actually seriously contemplating subscribing to it now, after all those many years of consuming it for free.

If you spend hours, it's so worth it. Youtube is a whole different experience without the constant ads.

Source: Been subscribed for years and I watch hours a day on _average_. In fact I might be addicted to YouTube, but that's a different story.

Re: YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

#857
post #849
post #715

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Producing television shows also costs money, but no-one forces me to watch the ads there. I can change channel, or skip past them if recorded, or just leave the room while they're on.

Why can’t you do that with YouTube? Changing the channel is as easy as closing the tab and you certainly can leave the room or mute it during ads.

[deleted]

Re: YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

#858

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you rely on ad revenue and people do not enjoy using your product more than enduring your ads, maybe your business model is wrong to begin with?

then websites should be able to stop you from using ad blockers and presumably no one should throw a hissy fit about it, but thats not what happens.

Wdym? That's exactly what people do. If they can't look at a piece of content they close it and move on with their life.

Re: YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

#859

It is not just about youtube. The whole internet is bloated with ads right now, and the vast majority of them quite the opposite of discrete. I just cannot browse the internet without adblocker, it is too slow, but more importantly too distracting. I could count the times that I have found an internet ad interesting in my lifetime using half the fingers of one hand. Personalised or not, the vast majority is useless,…

What people mean when they say all these things is that, "I can easily access things I want for free, so why would I ever pay?" Yes some people give voluntarily through donations or Patreon, but it's a tiny amount of the actual number of people who derive satisfaction from the content. The best solution for someone who hates ads is a subscription model. The thing that bothers me is that publishers still collect massi…

Any website that doesn't want me able to choose what I do on my own computer with the information they've freely given me is welcome to move to a different protocol that requires a locked down operating system that forces display of their content in the manner that they dictate. Until then, they can choose to stop freely sending me information or accept I'm going to use information on my own computer however I want (short of redistributing it).

Re: YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

#860
I started paying for Premium when they blocked Vanced. It is so worth it. I kind of feel bad that I used Vanced for so long. The experience is the same, with the added download functionality but missing swipping up and down on one side of the video for the volume and the other side for the brighness. Plus I am ad free regardless of where I view my content regardless of an adblocker being available or not. Honestly, if you use the educational/tutorial side of YouTube as much as possible, this is as much a no-brainer as GPT Plus.
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