The news is out: a report by GizChina just discovered that users of the free version of YouTube might have to deal with 5 unskippable ads prior to video playback. Some netizens have actually reported this feature coming live on their video-watching experience and have gone livid over the fact. Here’s the breakdown.
This first caught our attention when YouTube drew flak for having 5 clips of ads on a Reddit thread. User /KingWaffle12345 brought up the topic alongside a screenshot clearly displaying “Ad 1 of 5” with a 0:12 timestamp remaining in the frame. The comments have been mixed, with many expressing extreme distaste over this change. Some have mentioned that ads have gradually been increasing on YouTube as time passes, which just shows how comfortable the platform is due to its lack of any real competition. To a certain extent, that’s true – since YouTube still reigns supreme over longer-form video content that isn’t necessarily cinema-length.
Some managed to keep calm due to accepted industry standard software such as plug-in advertising blockers and the like. Another option seems to be using browsers like Brave that eliminate advertisement pop-ups entirely, or third-party YouTube applications such as Vanced.
Another way is by subscribing to YouTube Premium, a paid service that removes ads. Some have suggested this as a viable alternative since YouTube Music can take the place of Spotify or Apple Music anyways. This could also be the best solution to watching ad-free on their Smart TVs, since these are harder to install programs on.
Regardless, everyone is doing their own method to get rid of annoying YouTube ads in their system.
The YouTube team has responded to this matter through a Tweet from their official Twitter account. They mention “bumper ads” which take a maximum of 6 seconds, so 5 instances of these types of popups only result to 30 seconds. For the team and some viewers, the content is worth the wait.
Something we found fishy here though was the screenshot: if it was true that these would only last 6 seconds, why is there a “12-second remaining” symbol? There are lots of unanswered questions regarding YouTube ads, so for now the best thing to do would be to find what works best for you.
