YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them • Hacker News Board

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#361

Post by xbmcuser » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:23 PM UTC

mcguire wrote: post #288

willis936 wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was my first thought as well. Both coursera and audiobooks are not free or ad-supported. Would these paid alternatives be as attractive if they had ad-supported options? I watch more youtube than any other video platform and I am happy to pay the $13/month to be ad free. Is it a sustainable business model? That’s for the bean counters at Alphabet to know. For now, I am content.

Until they decide to show you ads, anyway?

so unsubscribe then you are paying subscription month to month its not a one time fee.

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#362

Post by ojilles » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:24 PM UTC

OzzyB wrote: post #88

It's time to coin a new term, "Ad Creep" - One Ad per video that the creator chooses to elect - Each Ad can be skipped after 5 seconds - Two Ads now but the first can still be skipped the second cannot - The first Ad's skip time increased from 5 seconds to 6 seconds - Videos get Ads regardless of creator consent I'm noticing a trend, and it sucks for those that like to use YouTube in app form since you're kind of stu…

I think you're looking for Overton Window, actually [1]. Also, I'm waiting for the the last shoe to drop: showing ads even to users that have YouTube Red; it's only a matter of time.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#363

Post by mplewis » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:24 PM UTC

testcase_delta wrote: post #334

kumarm wrote: post #259

Having youtube premium is definitely the biggest time saver for me. Other than not showing ads, lets you listen to videos like a podcast on mobile in background. For podcasts that also posts youtube videos, I just use youtube since it lets me see reactions when I want to from podcasters. I never understand HN Crowd complaining about ads on YouTube. It literally costs(1 month sub) less than typing a comment like this…

YouTube premium is great, I'm surprised it's not more popular. I'd cut my Spotify subscription way before YouTube, but that's not what I typically hear from my friends. Spotify = Streaming music $12/month YouTube = Streaming music + learned SolidWorks + learned Blender + learning Spanish + general entertainment of all sorts... $12/month. YouTube is incredible.

YouTube Music is a joke.

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#364

Post by bluedino » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:26 PM UTC

nineplay wrote: post #196

bsd44 wrote: post #118

As a content consumer I see this as a positive thing for me. A few months ago when YouTube decided to auto-add ads on all videos, my watch time on YouTube decreased by more than 50% since I consume all video content on either my phone or my tablet (where I don't have access to AdBlock), and I find the amount of ads I have to go through to watch a video so annoying that I'd rather not watch it at all. As a result I sp…

Reddit recently limited the number of comments you can read in Safari on iOS devices. Click "more" and you are prompted to create an account or go to their app. It's been fantastic. Reddit comments decrease rapidly in quality anyway, but I was unable to look away. Now I'm capped - one or two scrolls and I have to go find something more rewarding to do. Thanks reddit!

They're also doing an annoying then where you have a message if you don't have notifications turned on for the iOS app. If you turn them on, the 'message' goes away. But if you turn them back off, the message comes back! So annoying.

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#365

Post by zucked » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:27 PM UTC

darrylb42 wrote: post #341

eplanit wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is superficially sad, but as you point out the 2nd order effects are really positive. Google has really done us all a favor by being actually more authentic: they're saying "We're an Advertising company ." (the period is said out loud). They are a tech company insofar as it serves their ad business. They're not a general tech company, and they have no interests or pursuits in anything else unless it is to develop…

YouTube premium gets rid of all the ads, unless creators have embedded them in the video. There is lots of good content for toddlers on YouTube, but it is unwatchable with ads. I watch more myself now all the ads are gone, plus you get youtube music, not as good as spotify but good enough.

Agreed.

I had Youtube Premium through Google Play Music until Google finally axed GPM. I was so disappointed by how poorly Google handled that process that I cancelled my subscription and lost my YT premium.

Youtube is completely unbearable without premium - I have no idea how non-subscribers tolerate Youtube content. The ads are so intrusive. I would totally pay $5-$10 per month for a Youtube only subscription but I feel like the $18/mo for a family plan is a bit steep.

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#366

Post by IgniteTheSun » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:29 PM UTC

darrylb42 wrote: post #341

eplanit wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is superficially sad, but as you point out the 2nd order effects are really positive. Google has really done us all a favor by being actually more authentic: they're saying "We're an Advertising company ." (the period is said out loud). They are a tech company insofar as it serves their ad business. They're not a general tech company, and they have no interests or pursuits in anything else unless it is to develop…

YouTube premium gets rid of all the ads, unless creators have embedded them in the video. There is lots of good content for toddlers on YouTube, but it is unwatchable with ads. I watch more myself now all the ads are gone, plus you get youtube music, not as good as spotify but good enough.

Cable TV started as paid ad-free TV also. It now has so many ads that it is almost unwatchable at times.

One wonders how much further YouTube can take this - it appears they are approaching the optimal point for extracting revenue from videos, so where is their future revenue growth going to come from?

I miss the YouTube of old rather than this commercialized version. To me, Tik Tok seems like more like the original YouTube than YouTube does.

I for one have become so annoyed with the level of ads that I have reduced my consumption of YouTube. To me, it seems like there is a much higher rate of advertising on a per-content-minute basis on YouTube than there is on TV.

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#367

Post by ashtonkem » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:30 PM UTC

shawnz wrote: post #354

eplanit wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is superficially sad, but as you point out the 2nd order effects are really positive. Google has really done us all a favor by being actually more authentic: they're saying "We're an Advertising company ." (the period is said out loud). They are a tech company insofar as it serves their ad business. They're not a general tech company, and they have no interests or pursuits in anything else unless it is to develop…

> They are a tech company insofar as it serves their [sales] business. They're not a general tech company, and they have no interests or pursuits in anything else unless it is to develop new lines of [sales] revenue. What's the difference from product-driven or subscription-driven tech businesses?

Who pays.

All companies ultimately are responsive to the wants and needs of their paying customers, within the limits of legality and physics. Do not underestimate how important it is that Google’s paying customers are ad buyers, not you.

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#368

Post by pletsch » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:30 PM UTC

darrylb42 wrote: post #341

eplanit wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is superficially sad, but as you point out the 2nd order effects are really positive. Google has really done us all a favor by being actually more authentic: they're saying "We're an Advertising company ." (the period is said out loud). They are a tech company insofar as it serves their ad business. They're not a general tech company, and they have no interests or pursuits in anything else unless it is to develop…

YouTube premium gets rid of all the ads, unless creators have embedded them in the video. There is lots of good content for toddlers on YouTube, but it is unwatchable with ads. I watch more myself now all the ads are gone, plus you get youtube music, not as good as spotify but good enough.

How is the mobile experience for YT Music? Looking at switching, I imagine they have the desktop experience down. I love Spotify, but I can't imagine a worse experience outside of their mobile app. The web player was nice but fails to load music two-three times per listening session (to be fair, they are usually 5-8hrs), the desktop application is slow, clunky, and will regularly not play music I have downloaded.

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#369

Post by astrobe_ » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:31 PM UTC

OzzyB wrote: post #88

It's time to coin a new term, "Ad Creep" - One Ad per video that the creator chooses to elect - Each Ad can be skipped after 5 seconds - Two Ads now but the first can still be skipped the second cannot - The first Ad's skip time increased from 5 seconds to 6 seconds - Videos get Ads regardless of creator consent I'm noticing a trend, and it sucks for those that like to use YouTube in app form since you're kind of stu…

... And an aphorism: "Any social platform that becomes as popular as TV also becomes as trash as TV".

Re: YouTube will now show ads on all videos even if creators don’t want them

#370

Post by shawnz » Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 5:31 PM UTC

ashtonkem wrote: post #367

shawnz wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They are a tech company insofar as it serves their [sales] business. They're not a general tech company, and they have no interests or pursuits in anything else unless it is to develop new lines of [sales] revenue. What's the difference from product-driven or subscription-driven tech businesses?

Who pays. All companies ultimately are responsive to the wants and needs of their paying customers, within the limits of legality and physics. Do not underestimate how important it is that Google’s paying customers are ad buyers, not you.

And why would they not also be responsive to the wants and the needs of the customers who look at the ads, without which the model would not be profitable?

They had to create a service people want to use in order to be able to put ads on it.