By Derick Migliacci, AllAboutCookies
YouTube adopted its premium model in 2018, alongside its YouTube Music subscription service. This has led to more ad-supported content on the platform, which has increased over the years. Many users, for the better part of the first 5 years of the service, had been able to use ad-blocking software to skirt the advertisements and still watch their favorite online content.
That changed in 2023 when YouTube started cracking down hard on ads in an attempt to get more users to subscribe to their premium service. The platform began using pop-ups warning users that ad-blocking software violated the site’s terms of service and would prevent users from watching videos until they either set their ad blocker to allow ads on YouTube or fully uninstall the blocker.
This change upset users, and they were in search of an alternative. The digital security site All About Cookies noticed a change in users' online behavior since then.
With the timing of this surge positioned right at the beginning of the ad crackdown, it’s highly likely that YouTube’s stance on ads changing was a direct result of this traffic, showing that users felt very strongly about the changes being implemented on the platform.
Another surprising result is that 75% of users would be willing to pay the actual cost of the lowest tier of ad-free YouTube. YouTube Premium Lite, which includes ad-free viewing on non-music and shorts content, the ability to play videos in the background, and the ability to download videos offline, is $8.99. This does not give you the full ad-free premium experience on YouTube, as that costs $15.99.
According to this data, only 11% of users would be willing to pay what it costs for a full ad-free YouTube experience.
While 23% users responded and said they would be less likely to use an ad-blocker or more likely to pay for a premium subscription, 53% of respondents plan to use their time to be spiteful and find a way around YouTube’s ad-block ban, look for alternatives, or straight up spend less time on the site.
44% of respondents said this crackdown would not affect their YouTube consumption.
It surely seems that most users’ response to YouTube’s attempt to get more users to watch ads or pay up was not met with the desired response. While around half of users do plan to adhere to the ban, a majority are looking the other way when it comes to watching content online.
More users (16%) claimed they are planning to spend less time on the site than users who said they were more likely to pay for YouTube Premium (12%).
YouTube has gone the way of traditional streaming services and created a subscription-based way to watch content online, which many users feel is unfair because YouTube is primarily defined by user-generated content. The site has undoubtedly evolved since its inception over 20 years ago, with many controversial changes, such as introducing ads in the first place. However, it seems that this change has angered users more than ever, as they potentially look for new alternatives or ways around the change in strategy. Even three years after the initial crackdown, users are still scorned by the platform, and with new price hikes for premium subscriptions, many more users who were willing to pay may not be anymore
Author Info: Derick Migliacci is a Digital PR Strategist for AllAboutCookies. He brings over 3 years of experience in the PR world as well as a passion for digital trends, cybersecurity, and technology.
Reviewed by Irfan Ahmad.
Read next:
• Google’s AI Search Has Struggled With One Religious Question for Years
• No one trusts a chatbot that forgets them: Why healthcare AI keeps losing the people it's trying to help
YouTube adopted its premium model in 2018, alongside its YouTube Music subscription service. This has led to more ad-supported content on the platform, which has increased over the years. Many users, for the better part of the first 5 years of the service, had been able to use ad-blocking software to skirt the advertisements and still watch their favorite online content.
That changed in 2023 when YouTube started cracking down hard on ads in an attempt to get more users to subscribe to their premium service. The platform began using pop-ups warning users that ad-blocking software violated the site’s terms of service and would prevent users from watching videos until they either set their ad blocker to allow ads on YouTube or fully uninstall the blocker.
This change upset users, and they were in search of an alternative. The digital security site All About Cookies noticed a change in users' online behavior since then.
A Huge spike in Ad-block interest
According to their analysis, there was a +336% increase in traffic for users searching for an ad-blocker that can bypass YouTube’s restrictions following the YouTube crackdown in October of 2023.With the timing of this surge positioned right at the beginning of the ad crackdown, it’s highly likely that YouTube’s stance on ads changing was a direct result of this traffic, showing that users felt very strongly about the changes being implemented on the platform.
Most Users Would Not Pay for Ad-Free YouTube
Another indication of users’ strong negative feelings about the changes YouTube has made regarding ads can be seen in the survey, All About Cookies, conducted. In this survey, they asked users if they would pay for an ad-free version of YouTube known as YouTube Premium, 52% of whom said they would not, even with a heightened emphasis on ads.
Another surprising result is that 75% of users would be willing to pay the actual cost of the lowest tier of ad-free YouTube. YouTube Premium Lite, which includes ad-free viewing on non-music and shorts content, the ability to play videos in the background, and the ability to download videos offline, is $8.99. This does not give you the full ad-free premium experience on YouTube, as that costs $15.99.
According to this data, only 11% of users would be willing to pay what it costs for a full ad-free YouTube experience.
Over Half of Users Plan to Look for Alternatives or Find a Way Around YouTube’s Crackdown
Another question revolved around asking users how the crackdown changed the way they used the platform. The results showed that a majority of respondents planned to find alternatives or ways around the ad-blocker crackdown, as opposed to YouTube’s intended response of paying for a premium subscription.
While 23% users responded and said they would be less likely to use an ad-blocker or more likely to pay for a premium subscription, 53% of respondents plan to use their time to be spiteful and find a way around YouTube’s ad-block ban, look for alternatives, or straight up spend less time on the site.
44% of respondents said this crackdown would not affect their YouTube consumption.
It surely seems that most users’ response to YouTube’s attempt to get more users to watch ads or pay up was not met with the desired response. While around half of users do plan to adhere to the ban, a majority are looking the other way when it comes to watching content online.
More users (16%) claimed they are planning to spend less time on the site than users who said they were more likely to pay for YouTube Premium (12%).
Final Thoughts
This data shows that YouTube’s crackdown on ad blockers still has users upset with the changes they implemented in 2023. A huge increase in traffic on a site such as All About Cookies, searching for alternatives to ad-blockers not banned by YouTube, matches with a user survey where a majority claim they will not adhere to the site's demands of “watch our ads or pay up.”YouTube has gone the way of traditional streaming services and created a subscription-based way to watch content online, which many users feel is unfair because YouTube is primarily defined by user-generated content. The site has undoubtedly evolved since its inception over 20 years ago, with many controversial changes, such as introducing ads in the first place. However, it seems that this change has angered users more than ever, as they potentially look for new alternatives or ways around the change in strategy. Even three years after the initial crackdown, users are still scorned by the platform, and with new price hikes for premium subscriptions, many more users who were willing to pay may not be anymore
Author Info: Derick Migliacci is a Digital PR Strategist for AllAboutCookies. He brings over 3 years of experience in the PR world as well as a passion for digital trends, cybersecurity, and technology.
Reviewed by Irfan Ahmad.
Read next:
• Google’s AI Search Has Struggled With One Religious Question for Years
• No one trusts a chatbot that forgets them: Why healthcare AI keeps losing the people it's trying to help
