YouTube to show users 5 unskippable ads instead of two before a video starts, currently testing feature

[Dr. Zoidberg]

YouTube to show users 5 unskippable ads instead of two before a video starts, currently testing feature

YouTube, the world’s largest video sharing platform, which is owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc wants more people to join their YouTube Premium programme by paying. And so, to facilitate this, YouTube is currently testing showing users five unskippable ads before a video starts.

YouTube users who are not subscribed to YouTube Premium, will now receive up to 5 advertisements at the beginning of the video. And although YouTube claims that the ads shown in such spots will be bumper ads or basically, ads that are about 6 seconds in length, the reality is, people have seen ads that are longer than 10 seconds.



One user tweeted out, saying that they got to see about 11 ads instead of 5.



The news broke out when several YouTube’s regular or non-premium users started complaining on Twitter and Reddit that they have been receiving 5 ads instead of 2, before they could watch their YouTube video.

Not all regular YouTube viewers are dealing with the “5 ads before your video starts” situation, so it seems like YouTube is currently testing out the waters among selected users. As of now, most users of YouTube are only receiving up to 2 ads before their video starts, but it is not known whether the 5-ad format change will be rolled out to all non-paying YouTube users soon.

This move may lead to regular users towards adblockers and other “cracked” versions of YouTube. YouTube Vanced was one such modified third-party YouTube application for Android, that had its own ad blocker.

This puts content creators in a precarious position, especially ones who don’t rely on brand deals and sponsorships. By increasing the number of unskippable ads that are being served, YouTube will be driving potential viewers away from creators who rely on ads, and ultimately from the platform itself. Moreover, if more people are forced to use adblockers in any way, content creators don’t get paid by Google Adsense.

Source: Tech2

[ian]

I don't watch enough YouTube to be bothered by this, but last time I used it on my TV (and not my computer with an adblocker) it was borderline unusable.

How do people watch YouTube with ads? Maybe I'm just too impatient...
If the ads were like more than 2 seconds, I get bored and find something else to do.

DRINK COKE! a 1-2 second clip of young people having fun is all an ad needs to be!

Nord VPN, protect your privacy. 2 seconds And a short video of an evil Russian with a credit card.

I've seen these new shorts they're trying to steal from tiktok... There's a 15 second ad for a 20 second video?
I don't have time for that, I could be out doing old people activities! get on with it!

[pixel]

Yuck I've been that guy who's paid for premium because it's our most watched service at my place. Some days, it's about the only thing I watch for 4-5 hours.

SmartTubeNext is really worth it because it'll also skip sponsored ads in the middle of the video.

[ian]

Yuck I've been that guy who's paid for premium because it's our most watched service at my place. Some days, it's about the only thing I watch for 4-5 hours.

SmartTubeNext is really worth it because it'll also skip sponsored ads in the middle of the video.

I don't mind so much when the sponsors are mentioned, but some people are better than others. Gamers nexus are pretty fucking bad at long sponsored sections and sometimes I just skip an amount I'm sure it will be over. Let's game it out has the best ones (coincidentally the only person I'll watch play video games) and I don't think I've ever skipped any of his sponsor sections. and Todd in the shadows has the decency to put them at the end these days, so I won't auto skip them because it's showing me a common courtesy to let me actually enjoy content before flogging shit, so I watch them through most of the time.

I also don't mind people mentioning their own merch/stores or patreons as much as random 2 minute plugs about how they use Nord VPN, and it takes care of their pets, cleans their house and sucks their dick once a night!

I think it's Nord VPN I hate, and not ads in general.

[pixel]

Yuck I've been that guy who's paid for premium because it's our most watched service at my place. Some days, it's about the only thing I watch for 4-5 hours.

SmartTubeNext is really worth it because it'll also skip sponsored ads in the middle of the video.

I don't mind so much when the sponsors are mentioned, but some people are better than others. Gamers nexus are pretty fucking bad at long sponsored sections and sometimes I just skip an amount I'm sure it will be over. Let's game it out has the best ones (coincidentally the only person I'll watch play video games) and I don't think I've ever skipped any of his sponsor sections. and Todd in the shadows has the decency to put them at the end these days, so I won't auto skip them because it's showing me a common courtesy to let me actually enjoy content before flogging shit, so I watch them through most of the time.

I also don't mind people mentioning their own merch/stores or patreons as much as random 2 minute plugs about how they use Nord VPN, and it takes care of their pets, cleans their house and sucks their dick once a night!

I think it's Nord VPN I hate, and not ads in general.

The nice thing is that the settings are pretty granular. For stuff like sponsored ads, you can set it three ways: Auto skip, show skip button, or ignore. The show skip button option is nice because I can watch the good sponsored bits like Internet Historian and Caddicarus but easily skip the bad ones. It works on other types of segments like off-topic and self promotion.

It isn't just the adblock and sponsorblock that makes SmartTubeNext good, the app itself is a nicer experience than YouTube. In my case, it actually works instead of crashing when I try to switch accounts on my Google stick.

[Skynet]

Yuck I've been that guy who's paid for premium because it's our most watched service at my place. Some days, it's about the only thing I watch for 4-5 hours.

SmartTubeNext is really worth it because it'll also skip sponsored ads in the middle of the video.

I have no issues paying for Premium because I have it on a family account. Basically $3 a month each for all of us is a good deal because of how much I watch YT.

[melancholy]

Yuck I've been that guy who's paid for premium because it's our most watched service at my place. Some days, it's about the only thing I watch for 4-5 hours.

SmartTubeNext is really worth it because it'll also skip sponsored ads in the middle of the video.

I have no issues paying for Premium because I have it on a family account. Basically $3 a month each for all of us is a good deal because of how much I watch YT.

Pretty much what we do. Split it across 3 people, it’s only $6 a month.

[Skynet]

Yuck I've been that guy who's paid for premium because it's our most watched service at my place. Some days, it's about the only thing I watch for 4-5 hours.

SmartTubeNext is really worth it because it'll also skip sponsored ads in the middle of the video.

I have no issues paying for Premium because I have it on a family account. Basically $3 a month each for all of us is a good deal because of how much I watch YT.

Pretty much what we do. Split it across 3 people, it’s only $6 a month.

The convenience of background playing on my phone/tablet and no ads across all devices I'm logged into is definitely worth $3 a month. The best part is if anyone ever decides to leave the family group I'm certain I have other people who would jump in immediately.

If you can get at least 3 people, like Mel has, it's definitely worth it.