YouTube has been at odds with ad blockers for a year now as it looks for ways to thwart users who attempt to ignore advertisements.
There have been several recent initiatives to encourage users to subscribe to YouTube Premium, a $13.99 monthly service that offers more features and the ability to bypass advertisements.
A couple of the previous initiatives included discontinuing users after a short while of watching videos and showing pop-up advertisements for YouTube Premium.
READ MORE: Monetization Models In Digital Broadcasting: YouTube Versus Professional CTV Platforms
It appears that YouTube has come up with a novel way to get past ad blockers: embed the advertisements directly into the videos. Since audio podcasts have been doing this for years, this concept is not new. A unique download with integrated advertisements is generated each time you download a new podcast.
The same thing is apparently being worked on by YouTube, so that when you start watching a video, a new stream with integrated advertisements appears. This would make it more difficult for ad blockers to identify and disable the advertisements, as per a Talk Android article.
Already undergoing live testing, these integrated advertisements are giving ad blockers trouble. Google has not stated whether or when it would be applied to every video.
READ MORE: YouTube TV Confirms That Multiview Is Now Available In Android Phones And Tablets
Since YouTube began to take action against users who use ad blockers to bypass advertisements, there has been back and forth in this dispute. In order to compel as many users as possible to subscribe or watch the videos with advertisements, YouTube is committed to making it as difficult as possible to watch videos when using an ad blocker.
There are various reasons for Google’s action against ad blockers, but one possibility is that it’s an attempt to counteract declining ad revenue. All markets have seen a decline in ad income recently as marketers reduce the amount they spend to YouTube and other platforms. Numerous things contribute to this, one of which is the increase in the locations where they advertise.
Radiant TV, offering to elevate your entertainment game! Movies, TV series, exclusive interviews, music, and more—download now on various devices, including iPhones, Androids, smart TVs, Apple TV, Fire Stick, and more.
