Follow Us on Google News
YouTube continues its battle against ad blockers, now zeroing in on tools that facilitate ad-free viewing on mobile devices. The video platform, owned by Google, has declared its intention to ramp up enforcement against third-party apps that violate its Terms of Service, particularly those designed for blocking ads.
These apps enable users to watch videos without interruptions from advertisements, but their usage may result in buffering problems or error messages indicating that certain content is unavailable on the application.
According to YouTube, its terms expressly forbid third-party apps from disabling ads, as this hinders creators from being duly compensated for their content. In line with its recent crackdown on ad blockers, YouTube recommends opting for a Premium membership to enjoy an ad-free experience, priced at $14 per month.
In November, YouTube initiated a global campaign encouraging viewers with ad blockers enabled to either allow ads on YouTube or explore the ad-free experience offered by YouTube Premium. Initially, this effort involved pop-up notifications alerting users about the violation of the website’s Terms of Service when an ad blocker was detected. Subsequently, users found that they could only watch up to three videos with an ad blocker active before encountering difficulties in loading further content.
Additionally, Google acknowledged that users with ad blockers might experience suboptimal viewing conditions, such as extended wait times for videos to load.