YouTube has escalated its crackdown on apps blocking adverts in its videos, causing some to stop working entirely, stating that they violate YouTube’s Terms of Service.
YouTube posted the details on its community forum explaining that using third-party apps to block ads like NewPipe will cause users to have buffering issues or the video not playing and displaying the message: “The following content is not available on this app.”
YouTube justified this change by stating that blocking ads “prevents the creator from being rewarded for viewership,” explaining how advertisements support the creators and keep the streaming service free, at least at the entry-level.
However, many professional YouTubers have claimed it’s harder to make a living from ad revenue alone on YouTube and supplement this with paid sponsorships and by using subscription-based platforms like Patreon to continue making money on YouTube.
YouTube pointed this out saying that some users prefer an ad-free experience so it offers a paid-for ad-free option with YouTube Premium, which is currently £12.99 / $13.99 / AU$16.99.
This appears to be an expansion of YouTube’s previous efforts to convince ad-blocking users to either run ads or buy YouTube Premium as part of a project that tested a three-strikes policy for users blocking ads.