YouTube has been doing everything it can for about two years to prevent users of its platform from using ad blockers to skip the numerous ads, ads that are the main source of funding for this platform. As he launches a new method, blockers quickly dodge it and return to square one.
In the past it tried to do so by updating Manifest, the protocol that all extensions must comply with in order to be available in the Google application store. Recently, he has tried this by muting the videos and even fast-forwarding the video until the final seconds, this last measure being the least effective of all.
However, on YouTube they are not throwing in the towel and, instead of reducing the large amount of advertising that their platform shows, so that users are understandable and agree to see ads, the company continues to increase their number. Plus, it’s changing the way it displays ads so that ad blockers can’t do anything at all.
Google is doing everything possible to force users to jump through the hoops and sign up for YouTube Premium, in order to completely forget about advertising on the platform. But of course, that means an additional payment to add to the already monthly ones like Netflix, Spotify and others, a payment that really, for many users, is not worth it. If it has always been free, why pay now?
This is how YouTube wants to prevent you from skipping advertising
Another measure that has also been tested is to send a maximum of 3 notices to users who access YouTube with an ad blocker. On the third warning, block the account’s access to YouTube.
In addition, to prevent users from skipping it, they are also testing forcing users to use an account to access the platform, which will also prevent users from accessing third-party applications that do not display YouTube advertising. , as is the case with the popular NewPipe application.
But, the last method that, at the moment does not seem to have a simple solution according to the guys at SponsorBlock, involves the method that YouTube is testing to display advertising. When YouTube starts showing ads, ad blockers know when it starts and when it ends, allowing them to skip ad clips and have the video play without interruptions.
Instead of using this method, YouTube will inject server-side ads into the videos, so ad blockers will not have access to that information and will not be able to do their job since they will be displayed directly in the video being played. not as a pause to show advertising, but as another part of the video.
SponsorBlock (@sponsorblock@fosstodon.org)
@SponsorBlock
YouTube is currently experimenting with server-side ad injection. This means that the ad is being added directly into the video stream.
This breaks sponsorblock since now all timestamps are offset by the ad times.
June 14, 2024 • 16:49
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At first, this new movement by YouTube seems to be the end of a fight that has lasted much longer than the company had initially expected. However, SponsorBlock states that, although implementing a new method is more complicated, they cannot guarantee that there really is no method to bypass it, but it will be much more complicated than currently.
At the moment, YouTube is testing this new method and users who already have the misfortune of suffering from it have seen how ad blockers cannot do anything to skip it. Regarding its implementation worldwide, YouTube will wait to see the results of the test it is currently carrying out and, if everything goes well, I don’t think it will take us long to start seeing advertising on YouTube or use it only sporadically when We have no choice.
