YouTube is seemingly experimenting with implementing a pop-up message that stops videos from playing unless you turn off any ad blockers or sign up for a Premium subscription.
As 9to5Google reported, a Reddit user by the name of Sazk100 posted an image of the pop-up that appeared when they were trying to watch a video on YouTube while an ad blocker was running on their browser. The pop-up stated that “ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube” and then stated that ads allow for YouTube to remain free “for billions of users worldwide.”
If you do have an ad blocker and you get the message, it gives you two options: Either disable the ad blocker or sign up for a YouTube Premium subscription. The subscription is ad-free but costs $11.99 per month.
YouTube Premium also includes offline downloads and access to YouTube music. However, many find the service to be a bit on the pricy side.
Currently, the pop-up is an experiment, as was confirmed by a YouTube employee on Reddit. Not all users will receive the message. However, it may become more widespread or be fully implemented depending on how users react. YouTube will probably start showing the pop-up to more users if most people remove the ad blocker or sign up for YouTube premium.
This isn’t the first time YouTube has experimented with some features to try and push people towards YouTube Premium. Recently, YouTube ran an experiment to paywall 4K videos from users without Premium. That experiment didn’t pan out, but it still happened of course.
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
