Ad Blockers have grown in popularity in recent years. Now YouTube is working to block these ad blockers and will now prevent you from using YouTube if it detects you have an ad blocker running. Instead, it will give you a warning and ask you to turn off the ad blocker or subscribe to YouTube Premium.
This comes as ad revenue for all platforms has been down in 2023. Now Google has turned to combating ad-blockers to help address dropping ad revenue.
This was first spotted on Reddit and confirmed by Reddit mods, and spotted by 9to5Google.
This is also an effort to promote Google’s $ 11.99-a-month YouTube Premium which allows you to watch YouTube without ads. YouTube Premium also allows you to download videos for offline viewing and get YouTube Music Premium included with the service.
Right now YouTube Premium is offering a 3-month free trial.
Here are the terms of YouTube Premium:
Restrictions apply to certain features and vary by device, geographical location of the user, and others. Learn more Price may vary by user. Google reserves the right to change the price at any time. For accepted payment methods, see here. Premium and Music Premium Only first-time YouTube Red, Music Premium, YouTube Premium and Google Play Music subscribers are eligible for trials, introductory offers or promotional pricing. Except for Google Workspace Individual edition accounts, Google Workspace accounts are not eligible for trials unless they are signing up for Student subscriptions. Google reserves the right to cancel trials, introductory offers or promotional pricing, refuse signups or block access to a Premium subscription at any time if you materially or repeatedly breach the YouTube Terms of Service or applicable laws. Google may make promotions available to you which will be presented to you when the offer is made. Multiple promotions may not be combined within the same billing cycle. If you are eligible for more than one promotion, they may be applied in subsequent billing cycles. For recurring subscriptions, you will be charged a full monthly price of your subscription on a recurring basis upon expiration of the promotion(s) provided to you. Promotions are subject to availability and may be modified or terminated at any time and for any reason. Promotions may vary by country, billing platform, or additional eligibility requirements. Monthly subscription – 3 month trial. You’ll be automatically charged the price listed unless you cancel during your trial, and then every month starting on the first billing date until you cancel your subscription. Cancel anytime. No refunds or credits for partial billing periods. Refund policy Family subscription: Invite up to 5 additional family members to join your Google family group and share your Music Premium and YouTube Premium subscription. All family members must be age 13 or older, have a Google Account, and reside in the same household as the family manager. Family subscriptions are available in select countries. Learn more Student subscription: Sign up for either a Music Premium or YouTube Premium membership as a student and get all the same benefits at a discounted rate. YouTube student memberships are only available to full-time students at higher education institutions in select countries, and eligibility will be verified by a third-party verification service. Student memberships are valid for up to 4 years maximum. At the end of each year, you will be required to re-verify your eligibility. If you are no longer eligible for discounted student pricing, you may transition over to a full-priced YouTube Premium or Music Premium membership. You can also cancel your membership at any time. Learn more