YouTube Cracking Down On Ad-Blockers: Limiting Users To Just 3 Videos With "Global Experiment"

YouTube has begun a "small experiment globally". The most popular crowd-sourced video-sharing platform is essentially going after ad-blockers.

Users who rely on ad-blockers while watching videos on YouTube will be asked to toggle off their ad blockers and avoid being limited to only three video views. Let's look at the latest development in the crackdown on ad blockers by the Google-owned company.

YouTube Testing Blockers To Block Ad-Blockers

Using ad-blockers is a common technique to strip ads from a website. These are often quite effective. However, they deny valuable revenue sources for websites that mostly rely on ads.

YouTube has been quite successful at blocking ad-blockers as it has a very sophisticated content distribution platform. Still, the platform has been fighting ad-blockers and users who rely on them for an ad-free video-watching experience.

YouTube has started a pilot program that recognizes ad-blocking attempts and warns users. The platform is now displaying a pop-up that notifies ad blocker users targeted by this test that the "video player will be blocked after 3 videos."

The message is quite clear about its purpose and intention:

"It looks like you may be using an ad blocker. Video playback will be blocked unless YouTube is allow-listed or the ad blocker is disabled."

"Ads allow YouTube to stay free for billions of users worldwide. You can go ad-free with YouTube Premium, and creators can still get paid from your subscription."

If a YouTube user receives this pop-up, they have only two options: to disable their ad blocker and allow ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium to get rid of all advertisements.

Will YouTube Ban Ab-Blockers And Users Who Use Them From The Platform?

YouTube has officially acknowledged the experiment. However, the company has stressed that it is trying to urge viewers to allow ads on the platform or try YouTube Premium.

YouTube has indicated that playback might be temporarily disabled in "extreme cases." Simply put, the 3-video views limitation could be extended for a short duration.

"In extreme cases, where viewers continue their use of ad blockers, playback will be temporarily disabled. We take disabling playback very seriously, and will only disable playback if viewers ignore repeated requests to allow ads on YouTube."

"To prevent disruption as part of this experiment, viewers using ad blockers may disable their ad blocker, allow YouTube ads, or subscribe to YouTube Premium."

The new experiment follows a small trial YouTube conducted last month. In May, YouTube attempted to block users, who were using ad-blockers, from accessing the platform.

YouTube has claimed that thousands of websites use software that detects ad-blockers to ask viewers to disable them. The platform claimed it merely adopted the same strategy.

YouTube hasn't indicated how many users or regions are in the new experiment. However, it is amply clear that the platform has adopted a harsher approach to ad-blockers and users who rely on such software.