YouTube has launched another crackdown on third-party ad blockers on its platform in an attempt to address a long-running problem, according to a report. Users with ad blockers turned on are reportedly facing a new problem – the video automatically skips to the end. The move builds on a global crackdown the video streaming platform launched last year against third-party apps and browser plugins that block ads in videos and violate the terms of service of its API services.
YouTube videos skip to the end for third-party ad blockers
In the YouTube subreddit, user SDHD4K posted a short video clip with the title, “New Youtube adblock strange behavior – video automatically skips to the end”. In the clip, it can be seen how using an ad blocker forces the video to automatically skip to the end, preventing the user from viewing it.
The user also reportedly tried to skip certain parts of the video, but it seems to auto-rewind to the end. In the same subreddit, several users also pointed out another issue – the lack of sound.
One user commented: “And if you bypass that skip, the video plays without sound. You can only hear something when you turn the volume up or down, but as soon as you ‘let go’ the volume control, the sound goes away.”
Breaking ad blockers
Google’s video-streaming platform has been fighting ad blockers hard for the past few months. In May 2023, YouTube launched 30-second “unskippable ads” for its TV app, followed in June by a “small global experiment encouraging viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium”.
A few months later, it morphed into a “global effort” to fight ad blockers that violate its terms of service. Speaking to The Verge, Christopher Lawton, head of communications at YouTube, said the implementation is because “ads support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and enable billions to access their favorite content on YouTube.”
Although the platform has been slimmed down with features like Super Chat and channel memberships, its main source of revenue remains ads – which third-party ad blockers get rid of.
