To combat ad blockers, Google apparently “artificially” blocks YouTube videos from loading, although not in all web browsers.
Five seconds, some Firefox and Microsoft Edge users say they have to wait before they can load a YouTube video. Google claims this is part of its intention to combat ad blockers, but Chrome appears to be spared.
YouTube no longer bothers with ad blockers
YouTube has started seriously blocking ad blockers to encourage users to switch to the service’s paid subscription. A comprehensible approach by the company, which must compensate the content creators who rely on the platform.
But on Reddit, a user recently shared a video showing stranger behavior from YouTube when the site is used on Firefox and Microsoft Edge. As you can see, by changing the “User Agent” you can see that a 5 second delay is applied before loading a video, but not with the Chrome browser…
Image credit: vk6_ on Reddit
Other Reddit users have noticed slower video loading, again on Firefox and Edge. If we look at the JavaScript code of the YouTube client, we see some code that could correspond to the implementation of this delay.
© Reddit
We couldn’t reproduce the issue on Edge for one simple reason: we didn’t have an ad blocker installed in the browser. In fact, YouTube has issued an official statement on the matter, indicating that the “issue” is actually related to the use of an ad blocker:
“To support a diverse ecosystem of creators worldwide and enable billions of people to access the content they love on YouTube, we launched an initiative to encourage viewers with ad blockers turned on to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience . Users with ad blockers installed may experience suboptimal viewing regardless of which browser they use. »
This has the advantage of being clear. In the fight against blocking ads on videos on its platform, YouTube has launched a cat-and-mouse game that sometimes results in the blockers in question being installed.
But the effectiveness of such a hunt for ad blockers should not be underestimated. Like Netflix, which is now restricting account sharing, YouTube could lose users but gain profitability. As a reminder, YouTube Premium now costs €12.99 for a single user.
On the same topic: Does YouTube have the right to block your ad blocker?
Source: Android Authority