YouTube is making a proactive move to combat the practice of using ad blockers to bypass advertisements on its platform. A YouTube Representative, which is owned by Google, has confirmed that YouTube has initiated a worldwide campaign to encourage users who employ ad blockers to either enable ads on the website or explore the premium option, which offers an ad-free experience in exchange for a fee.

The representative further stated that employing an advertisement blocking feature on YouTube violates the platform’s terms and conditions.

According to the spokesperson, advertising plays a vital role in supporting creators worldwide and enables billions of people to enjoy their favorite content on YouTube.

YouTube implemented a trial measure in June to restrict video views for users who have ad-blockers enabled. Some users were informed through prompts that their video player would be blocked after watching three videos, unless they disabled the ad-blocker or subscribed to YouTube Premium.

During that period, the cost of YouTube Premium, the ad-free subscription service, was $11.99. However, during the summer, YouTube made a discreet adjustment and raised the membership fee by approximately 17 percent to $13.99 per month, or $139.99 for a yearly subscription (equivalent to around $11.66 per month).

Users who have been affected by this change have expressed their concerns on social media platforms such as X, Facebook, TikTok or Reddit. Some users have even shared strategies on how to bypass YouTube’s ad-blocker detection by utilizing different browser extensions. Others are upset at how expensive streaming has become, with multiple streaming platforms offering segmented content – it starts adding up to more than what cable can cost. Additional, many streaming platforms are still including ads on paid services, which further aggravates consumers, who then look to avoid such frustrations.

Though Google and YouTube can effectively boost their ad revenue by taking measures against ad blockers it will be at the cost of a very frustrated user base. While it is possible that they may experience a decline in viewership due to their stance on ad blockers, the likelihood of overall revenue growth is much higher. Many current ad block users are likely to whitelist the platform instead of losing access entirely in order to support the site. Additionally, some users may opt for a Premium subscription on YouTube to enjoy an ad-free experience while still supporting the platform. Though some may stop using the platform altogether, without any competing service, there is no other comparable option users have.