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YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

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Re: YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

#361

Post by saeirtkawierjt »

kitsunesoba wrote: post #226

This doesn't really affect me since I subscribe to premium, but something that a lot of ad-based services don't seem to grasp is why people block ads. It's because they've become increasingly obnoxious. Nobody blocked ads when they were a simple column of links in the gutter or maybe an animated GIF banner with 3 frames. No, adblockers became popular because ads kept getting more loud (both visually and audibly), in…

I've had adblockers installed for decades. I'm always amazed at how bad the internet is without them when occasionally I view a website on my phone. When there's one completely unrelated video ad playing, and then a second also unrelated video ad pops up on top of the first, I wonder if the first advertiser knows or cares that their ad is being covered by another ad. And then I have two or more audio streams playing simultaneously, so I can't understand any of them ... and I regret working in tech.

Re: YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

#362

Post by sendos »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #280
Verdex wrote: post #222

I don't really understand either side of the equation here. So, on the one hand you have people who use ad blockers. The first retort that comes to mind here is: Well, we'll take our business elsewhere. Which is odd because without ads they aren't paying and them leaving is the goal. Of course on the other hand ... when I read the title my thoughts weren't that I would be okay because I don't ad block youtube. My tho…

Good point. I don't know what were their expectations for audience reaction. It surely wasn't "oh I need to turn off my adblocker then" or "oh, YouTube Premium, that's neat, lemme get my credit card". For me, it was, in order: - "Three strikes" and... what? Red alert! Let me drop everything and read the damn article right now, because it could be "three strikes and you lose your Google account", which is kinda big fu…

Honest question: if you and your kids use YouTube to the degree you describe, why not pay for the ad free experience? Why go through so many hoops? Is it the amount of money, is it the principle, or something else?

Re: YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

#363

Post by wahnfrieden »

JCharante wrote: post #258
user3939382 wrote: post #230

If Google had the power to implement a device that forced your eyelids open to look at ads they would do it. Their company is user hostile and we should move as far as possible away from their services.

How are they user hostile? It's people who do not want to pay for the service and do not want to watch ads to use the service who are the problem. How else should Youtube make money from those users? They must literally lose money on those users.

Paying for services doesn't prevent advertising companies from continuing to insert ads. Consumers would be stupid to trust that game as you advise, flock to the membership program and promote continued YouTube dominance. You advise a kind of "penny wise (fewer ads now!) pound foolish (anyone complaining should just start paying them)" approach.

Re: YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

#364

Post by etchalon »

At some point, the only option left will be to bake the ads into the video, so they can neither be skipped nor blocked.

I assume the only reason this isn't done is dynamic insertion, but at some point the CPU horsepower necessary to do that on-demand will be available.

Re: YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

#365

Post by cruano »

Khaine wrote: post #353

Youtube ads are bad in several ways: 1) they have these ads that pop-over and hide the content 2) there ad breaks are cut into content at in-opportune moments. At least on TV, the content is designed around the ad breaks 3) I have recently seen ads for gambling powered by cryptocurrencies, how can Google allow these ads baffles me Collectively, these things make the ads on YouTube infuriating. It's then made worse by…

> or come up with a different method

Let me introduce you to Paying for the services you use™

Re: YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

#366

Post by Fargren »

_gabe_ wrote: post #313

This is just so funny to me. Google has to have the absolute worst PR for any company I've ever seen to make this happen. Somehow, they've duped the general public (at least on HN) into believing they insert the ads into videos. All they need to do is run a marketing campaign about how as a content creator you get to decide when ads play, whether they're unskippable, and how many ads to place in your video. Blast tha…

I don't think content creators can choose not to have ads in their videos. Creators can turn off monetization, but YouTube can still play ads, they just won't pay the creator.

https://www.makeuseof.com/youtube-ads-without-paying-creator...

I do agree with your general point. Creators can choose to show less ads, and we should prefer channels that choose to monetize less.

EDIT: I'm no longer sure whether YouTube is displaying ads when you do this. The wording I found in their help pages is ambiguous. I think they reserve the right to display video ads if monetization is off, but they are not displaying ads (currently).

Re: YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

#367

Post by squaresmile »

rumori wrote: post #346

I’ve subscribed to Youtube when I found no way to block state propaganda in my country. Instagram lets me hide ads I don’t like, while there’s no way to get rid of them on Youtube. Maybe I’m the proof that the strategy works but now I despise Youtube and Google with a passion while being surprisingly sympathetic with Instagram and happily accepting ads there. Both of them serve completely irrelevant ads for me though…

Yep, I've also commented on how harmful ads seem to be more common on YouTube compared to Instagram and Facebook. Maybe Facebook use more human reviewers in smaller regions compared to Google? Maybe Facebook have better data due to their social network? Idk but the YouTube ads in my country are also shockingly bad compared to YouTube in the US.

Re: YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

#369

Post by myworkthrowaway »

mcpackieh wrote: post #309

I block ads because they're psychological warfare that corporations wage against me. I don't care how unobtrusive the ads are. I don't care if the ads don't track me. I grew up changing the channel on TV when ads came on, and ripping adverts out of magazines before sitting down to read them. I vote for billboard bans whenever I can. I have zero tolerance for ads of any sort. Advertisers have no morals, they're comple…

[flagged]

Re: YouTube is testing a more aggressive approach against ad blockers

#370

Post by Buttons840 »

Cyder wrote: post #359

the real issue, is that when enough people consume a service, it becomes a 'utility', and you are penalized if you don't use it. As such, if a percentage of the population uses something, it should be regulated as a 'utility'. Copyright laws should reflect this also. Most jobs I've seen (even outside of tech ) require familiarity with Windows and Office, ie. basic skills linked to one platform. Google is used enough…

I agree. Eventually companies become so big that not using them is, in D&D terms, a -2 to all stats for your entire life.

I mean, in exchange for giving them so much money that its gravitational field warps all of democracy, can we not get a little customer service when needed?

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