Just a month ago, YouTube began to add 30 second ads no option to skip them on televisions. It already seemed excessive. Well, it turns out that it was just the beginning: several Reddit users are reporting ads lasting up to 90 seconds that also cannot be skipped. One and a half minutes of mandatory advertising, with no escape possible, before or during the video you wanted to see. The curious thing is that this doesn't even fit with YouTube's own policies, which until now set the ceiling for non-skippable ads on TV at 30 seconds.
At the moment, the change seems to be limited to those who watch YouTube on television – on mobile and desktop, at the moment, nothing. The logic is not difficult to understand: TV sessions are longer, attention is different, and that makes the ads worth more to advertisers. Google has been trying for some time to YouTube competes with traditional televisionand it is clear that this has consequences for those who do not pay.
An escalation that shows no signs of stopping
It's not entirely clear if this is a controlled test or something that has been accidentally snuck in, because Google hasn't said anything about it. But the trend is evident. We have been seeing for months how the platform is tightening the advertising screws little by little: ads when pausing videos on Smart TV, then the mandatory 30 seconds, and now this.
YouTube's recent history with advertising isn't exactly reassuring. Advertisements mistakenly shown to Premium users —who pay not to see them—, an increasingly aggressive war against adblockers, reports of hours-long ads that turned out to be technical failures… The direction does not change: more ads, longer, more difficult to avoid. The official outlet continues to be YouTube Premium, €13.99/monthor the recent Premium Lite at €7.99which removes ads except in music videos.
To think that all this is going to stay only on the television would be very optimistic. If the experiment works and generates income, the jump to mobile and tablet is a matter of time. The real question is how far are you? willing to hold out before payingor before looking for another option.
