It’s no secret that YouTube has been cracking down on ad blockers for a while. It’s all done in an attempt to get users to accept commercials or subscribe to YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience. Now it appears that YouTube has moved towards combating people who watch videos on third-party apps that block ads.
Youtube Announced this change on Monday, noting that it would “strengthen [its] law enforcement” against applications that violate the terms of service. Specifically, it goes after apps that block ads and deprive YouTube and the platform’s creators of advertising revenue. According to YouTube, anyone using these apps may encounter excessive buffering or an error message stating that “the following content is not available in this app.”
“We only allow third-party applications to use our API when they follow our API Services Terms of Service,” YouTube said in the announcement. “When we find an app that violates these terms, we will take appropriate measures to protect our platform, creators and viewers.”
The edge notes that this move appears to be aimed at mobile ad blockers that allow you to open YouTube within the app. This blocks ads and allows you to enjoy YouTube content without commercials interrupting what you’re watching. It will also undoubtedly target third-party YouTube clients that offer a similar experience to the official app but block all advertising.
YouTube has really stepped up its war on ad blockers over the past six months. Not only has it pushed its anti-ad blocking offensive to users around the world, but it has also implemented some irritating tactics to lure you away from ad blockers, such as adding 5-second delays to all videos.
Of course, the best ad blockers have found ways to get around YouTube’s obstacles. Chances are, you haven’t noticed more than a minor interruption in your YouTube streaming every time YouTube launches a new anti-ad blocking initiative. I have no doubt that this will end up being a game of cat and mouse between YouTube and ad blockers constantly trying to outdo each other.
It’s unclear whether YouTube will actually succeed in pushing ad blockers out of YouTube browsing. But I know that fewer people would insist on using them if the platform’s ads weren’t so bad that it almost seems like a deliberate attempt to get people to subscribe to YouTube Premium.
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