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I totally forgot how terrible a non-ad-free YouTube experience is (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by bermuda@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

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So I've been using youtube ad blockers since pretty much when ad blocker extensions were first available. Lately though I've been getting hit more and more with these messages that YT was sending out every 5 or so videos telling me that adblockers aren't allowed. No problem, just gotta wait 5 seconds to x it out and then close my video. The straw that broke the camel's back though was when instead of a close-able pop-up, they just posted it in front of a video and wouldn't let me watch anything until I disabled my adblocker.

So I disabled it and... wow. It's just so, so, trash. 2 ads before a video plus midrolls and every video ever. I tried listening to a playlist of songs and was getting a midroll ad every single time. Imagine trying to just listen to music for 3 minutes and getting interrupted by a commercial for a chevy silverado! Half the ads were for youtube premium and they specifically mentioned that it would get rid of all the ads. It just felt so damn predatory. I couldn't enjoy anything that wasn't already demonetized.

And you know I'm fine with ads I guess. I could live with an ad before every video, but the fact that I was getting upwards of 5 ads in a 10 minute video was just plain absurd. I also hate that youtube got rid of the yellow markers to show you when an ad was coming up, so now it's just out of nowhere and always interrupts a key part of the video.

E: I've been on Firefox for over a year.

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[–] abhibeckert@beehaw.org 45 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I could live with an ad before every video

I can't live with that. Often I don't even know if I actually want to watch the video or not, and if I have to sit through three minutes of ads, only to close the video five seconds after the ad because it's not what I expected... yuck. Preroll ads are often a deal breaker for me unless it's content that I'm very familiar with.

Mid-roll ads I'm OK with - by then I've already decided the content is worth watching.

I don't think I'm alone and YouTube seems to be very aware of this issue. They are selective about which videos have a pre-roll ad.

[–] Da_Boom@iusearchlinux.fyi 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mid roll ads are fine if the video was made with midrolls in mind that the midrolls actually happened at the times the maker of the video has set them up to happen.

Sure they are selective about which videos have ads, but not when the ads come on.

YouTube, with no adblocker or premium subscription has basically become an interrupting cow, making noise at the most innapropriate time and then you have to wat-MOOOOOOOOOO-ch the ad, then you rewind 10 seconds to get your cont-MOOOOOOOOOO-text back. There needs to be a legal limit to the number of midrolls you can stuff in a short space of time.

I'd rather watch a series of multiple consecutive midroll ads placed at a prespecified time than a random number of ads scattered at completely random intervals, Ruining the flow and mood of the video.

Its frustrating af.

[–] davehtaylor@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

There also needs to be a hard limit to the length of ads. Cannot fucking stand seeing an ad come on and it's an hour and a half long for some get rich quick scheme

[–] BubblyMango@lemmy.wtf 4 points 1 year ago

Exactly. With youtube's shitty tutorial search functions ever since they removed dislikes, i kinda need to see the start of the video to know if its even relevant. But no. Full on 2-3 pre-video ads.

[–] bermuda@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

I mean idk I never really bothered with an ad blocker pre 2013 or so, back when you'd get an ad before the vid and the longer ones had mid rolls.