YouTube Strategy Against Ad Blockers: Anti-Circumvention Measures

YouTube has announced that it is rolling out slower site loading times for users employing an ad blocker while visiting its platform. This is just the latest step by the streaming music platform in its fight against the use of ad-blocking tools, which also includes the total block of some users when an ad blocker is detected.

As reported by Android Authority, YouTube is now implementing loading delays, with some users reporting wait times of up to five seconds or more.

YouTube’s Statement on Slowing Down for Ad Block Users

YouTube has released the following statement to Android Authority: “To support a diverse ecosystem of creators around the world and allow millions of people to access their favorite content on YouTube, we have initiated an effort to encourage users with ad blockers enabled to consider viewing ads on YouTube or trying YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience. Users who have installed ad blockers may have a suboptimal viewing experience, regardless of the browser they are using.”

Effectively, if YouTube’s detection systems identify the use of an ad-blocking extension, the viewing experience will be slower and more cumbersome. This is part of YouTube’s efforts to prevent users from removing its ads. Recently, YouTube confirmed to The Verge its intention to intensify the fight against ad blockers, highlighting that “ads support a diverse ecosystem of creators around the world and allow billions of people to access their preferred content on YouTube”.

A Program to Counteract Ad Blockers

YouTube has launched a new program to counteract the use of ad blockers in a limited test starting from June. However, in the last few months, more and more users have been reporting the appearance of a new pop-up notification. These measures, naturally, are only for the web version of the app and do not affect those accessing YouTube content through the mobile app. However, since most users access YouTube via youtube.com, not through the app itself, the impact of these measures could be significant concerning the use of ads.

It is possible that other platforms will follow YouTube’s example. If YouTube demonstrates that there is a way to prevent people from using ad blockers, reducing thus the effectiveness of ads, many other platforms might consider implementing the same strategy, consequently undermining the value of ad blockers over time.

The War Against Ad Blockers

According to research from Tinuiti, about 31% of adults in the United States currently use ad blockers, a percentage that is constantly rising over time. It seems that YouTube, at least, is not willing to tolerate this situation, representing a challenge for those who believed they had found a solution for the sometimes intrusive ads of YouTube.