YouTube is testing an ad-blocker crackdown

YouTube is cracking down on some users that deploy ad blockers when watching YouTube videos. 

In a Reddit post, a user shared a screenshot of the app warning them that “video playback will be blocked unless YouTube is allowlisted or the ad blocker is disabled.”

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Users will either have to turn off their ad blocker extension, allow YouTube specifically to bypass the ad blocker, or subscribe to YouTube Premium to watch YouTube ad-free. According to reporting from BleepingComputer, YouTube says the warning is part of a global experiment to urge users with ad blockers to disable them or subscribe to YouTube Premium.

YouTube also says that blocking video playback only occurs in “extreme cases” in which a user does not disable ad blockers after repeated warnings.

In recent months, YouTube has been experimenting with how to discourage users from using ad blockers on the site. In May, Reddit users with ad blockers received a pop-up message saying, “Ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube.” Their options were to allow ads or try YouTube Premium.

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YouTube launched in 2005 and was met with instant popularity. Almost a year after the site's launch, Google acquired it and has owned it ever since. If an advertiser chooses to run ads on YouTube, they will find cost-effective ad campaigns that reach many possible customers.

Additionally, YouTube allows YouTubers to monetize their videos by becoming a YouTube Partner. With this partnership, YouTubers can choose how many ads to place within their video to maximize their profits.

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Because YouTube is a free site, it relies heavily on ad revenue, but some users think it is overstepping the imaginary line that decides, “How many ads are too many?”