YouTube users are experiencing slowdowns as a result of increased ads, and attempting to block them may lead to reduced performance on the platform.
YouTube is escalating its efforts against ad-blockers, and users employing these tools to block ads while watching videos may face additional consequences.
YouTube argues that blocking ads hampers its ability to compensate content creators, and therefore, it encourages users to cease using ad-blockers or opt for the Premium service, which provides ad-free content.
Many YouTube viewers are experiencing a slowdown of the entire website if they don’t disable ad-blockers on their browsers. YouTube refers to this as “suboptimal viewing.” The performance downgrade has raised concerns, especially for a widely-used platform that has served users for decades.
YouTube has been widely used by millions, if not billions, of users globally. For a significant period, the platform permitted users to utilize ad-blockers, allowing them to avoid watching ads before and during videos.
Recently, YouTube introduced a three-strike rule for videos, providing users with ample time to cease using ad-blockers and enable ads for all videos on their profiles if they want to continue using YouTube for free.
The platform conveyed a message stating that video playback would be blocked unless users whitelist YouTube in their ad-blocker app/extension or disable the feature entirely.
