June 30 (Portaltic/EP) –
Youtube is testing a new feature focused on combating the use of ad blockers, with which will block the player for users who view three videos using these programs to avoid advertising.
The platform already began testing in May a function that prevented from playing videos To them users who used some blocking program of ads. In this case, the user was informed that if he wanted to continue watching the video, he had to stop using the blockers or register as a YouTube Premium subscriber.
Now, the video platform continues to implement testing features to prevent the use of ad blockers and encourage subscriptions to YouTube Premium, as it claims that it is thanks to advertising that YouTube can remain free.
In this sense, as has been shown by a user on Reddit Through a capture, the new function follows the same line as the one that was already being tested previously, with a popup notice that appears when detects that the user is using an ad blocker. However, now YouTube warns that the player will be blocked after three videos when using these programs.
In the notification, the platform also informs that the video playback will be blocked “unless YouTube is on the allow list or the ad blocker is disabled”.
After that, YouTube emphasizes that it is thanks to the ads the platform can continue to work for free for “billions of users around the world.” Furthermore, it encourages the use of ad-free platform with YouTube Premium subscription, since, with this, the creators “can still receive the payment” of the subscriptions.
In other words, with this feature, the third video that users view using an ad blocker, YouTube will block their ability to play videos on the platform in general. For their part, users must decide whether to stop using ad blockers or subscribe to YouTube Premium.
Following this line, from YouTube they have confirmed to Bleeping Computer that these functions are part of an experiment to allow ads on the platform or urge users to try the Premium version.
According to statements by a spokesperson from the platform to this same medium, with this function the reproduction could be temporarily disabled in “edge cases”, where viewers continually use ad blockers.
“We take disabling playback very seriously and we’ll just disable it if viewers ignore repeated requests to allow ads on YouTube,” the spokesperson said.
