YouTube escalates ad blocker campaign globally, while promoting its premium subscription

YouTube has initiated its worldwide campaign against ad blockers, as confirmed by communications manager Christopher Lawton. As we reported a few days weeks ago, users employing ad blockers may encounter limitations and a notice indicating that video playback is obstructed unless YouTube is whitelisted or the ad blocker is deactivated. The platform is urging users to either permit ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium.

The campaign, which started as a small global experiment in June, has been significantly escalated by YouTube to block videos for ad blocker users, leading to a surge in complaints from users unable to access videos due to ad blockers.

Lawton emphasized that the use of ad blockers infringes on YouTube's terms of service, as ads are vital for supporting content creators and providing access to billions of users. Despite efforts to reform its ad strategy, YouTube's decision to increase the price of YouTube Premium and discontinue the cheaper Premium Lite plan could impact its appeal to potential subscribers. Not to mention free alternatives that are gradually gaining more popularity, like PeerTube and NewPipe