YouTube keeps serving this obnoxious ~5m ad

YouTube wants me to watch a 4m30s ad for middle-aged men who want to stay healthy. I won't watch it. Hence, it never goes away.

I suppose this makes sense… I won't play almost any video that has an ad that doesn't have a 5s timeout button. I even skip those, most of the time.

I download videos using Downie, youtube-dl, or yt-dlp, and I watch them offline. So, the result is that I never complete the super long ad that YouTube wants me to watch, hence, it never stops being offered. I think that's what's going on here.

I just wanted to run a sanity-check to see if others agree that this is why this extreme garbage is being served. It can't be that YouTube is serving ~5m ads to lots of people on a regular basis and people let them play, right? I think people would be outraged if this was common. But I'm not sure.

Background (unnecessary info to provide context):

I live in a nearly ad-free world because I deliberately cut them out with software. Thus I don't really have a good sense of what average people tolerate. I haven't tolerated ads for over 20 years. That's when I cut the cord on television and switched to pirating content, later buying from iTunes, then streaming when that became available.

I live in a bubble and was offended at the idiocy of TV ads when I'd visit family for the holidays back when the iPod was on every single ad-break (and I'm an Apple / Mac user). I been un-desensitized for so long that TV ads have seemed alien and offensive for a long time.

It has to be that I keep getting this ad because I won't complete YouTube's stupid challenge-quest of "watch a super long ad one time," right? I won't complete the challenge to confirm that it goes away, so I need others to tell me if they think I'm right that this is why I keep seeing it. If I let it play, do you think they'd serve short ads again and it would be rare for such a long ad to be served? I'm not going to do so either way. Fuck YouTube and fuck ads.

Aside: when I can no longer download videos to avoid ads, I'll stop watching YouTube videos. Spare me your lectures on them needing monetization to pay for servers. We won't agree for reasons beyond the scope of this question.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

BlueJayOakerson ,

Just pay the $10 for ad free. It’s a shitty answer, but one of the only services that’s still worth it if you use it enough.

YouTube is the only streaming service I pay for at all and haven’t had to deal with ads in years

$10-14 (whatever it is) per month for music, podcasts, informational vids/diy, etc. Then just pirating any shows is the only way to do it nowadays. No ads and still exponentially cheaper than tv 20 years ago which was pretty much 50% ads.

forrgott ,

Yeah, it's a shitty answer, when there are multiple free options that eliminate the problem.

MigratingtoLemmy ,

Pretty sure Google doesn't need my money. That money goes to creator's patreons and projects I love and use

NoIWontPickAName ,

So, you just want free shit?

lvxferre ,
@lvxferre@mander.xyz avatar

That is not even remotely close to what the other user is saying.

MigratingtoLemmy ,

I don't think I can reason with a Google shill. Oh well

WamGams ,

I'm about 90% open source, so yes, free shit is a very motivating thing dor me.

intensely_human ,

Then go use the free shit

WamGams ,

I do.

I use tubular and rimusic to replace youtube

NoIWontPickAName ,

Do those pull from YouTube?

WamGams ,

100%

Usually_Lurker ,
@Usually_Lurker@lemmy.world avatar

It’s like $15 a month now. I paid for premium when it was $10 and included music streaming. When the raised the price 50% I immediately cancelled. I use Smart Tube Next on my Sheild and have Firefox focus on iOS. + PiHole, + unlock Origin. Ads can go screw themselves.

NoIWontPickAName ,

So you stopped using YouTube right?

I mean, surely you don’t think everything you have should be free?

LainTrain ,

No but I don't think I must enrich billion dollar corporations with my valuable attention span either so they can continue to exploit and extract labour value from the working class if you want to get philosophical about it.

intensely_human ,

So … taking people’s work for free is what you’re criticizing them for?

Itsamelemmy ,

Google data mines the fuck out of me, even with all my blocking of ads. So yeah I think YouTube without ads is fair trade for all the money they've made off my data. They don't get my money as well as being able to do whatever they want with my data.

NoIWontPickAName ,

Decent rebuttal. I like it and can even accept it.

You are the very first person to have a reasonable answer, other than the guys that are like me and just say that I’m too cheap to pay for it, I can totally at least respect the honesty therein.

I mean nowadays I just use ad supported versions.

Other than the Hulu Disney combo, but I think that’s worth the money with Fox, Marvel, and Disney movies on it.

I used to have prime, Netflix, and Hulu but then they got greedy as fuck

Sabin10 ,

Nope, I have my cake and eat it too. What of it?

NoIWontPickAName ,

At least you’re honest

1984 ,
@1984@lemmy.today avatar

You dont negotiate with terrorists.

astanix ,

It's only like 2.25 a month of you vpn to India before signing up for premium

BlueJayOakerson ,

Ouu good call. I’ll have my girlfriend sign in and set it up next time she goes home. This is a great hack for subscriptions that I never thought of.

Demonmariner ,

Totally agree. For-profit platforms won't exist if they can't generate revenue, either from ads or subscriptions. If I use a commercial offering I expect to pay for it.

If you use the platform and sidestep paying, you're just foisting the expense off on paying customers.

Cuttlefish1111 ,

Ads are atrocious and despicable. It’s brainwashing. Our generation has been saturated. Half of the population currently puts up with it while many, like us, won’t. I just avoid them when possible and always look for new ways to block them. It’s about all we can do

mechoman444 ,

Actually, in reality, only a small portion of people on YouTube use ad blockers

[Worldwide, 9.4 percent of Firefox users have installed AdBlock Plus, and 3.3 percent have installed uBlock Origin. That makes them the top two extensions people install to customize their web browser.

Usage is even higher in France, where 21.6 percent use Adblock Plus and 6 percent use uBlock Origin, Mozilla said.](https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/firefox-shows-we-block-ad-trackers-on-web-not-just-use-ad-blockers/to)

The extreme vast majority of people on YouTube watch ads.

Which is why people were really upset about the crack down some months back. It was just a blatant money grab by Google. They just wanted a few more million dollars and nothing more.

Guy_Fieris_Hair ,

The funny part is if it was a sane amount if ads we might put up with it. But since it is always an absurdly ridiculous money grab they have the internet as a whole working together to defeat them.

Itsamelemmy ,

Ublock origin + sponsorblock on Firefox or revanced on mobile is still working fine for me.

MigratingtoLemmy ,

Why not use uBlock Origin?

deweydecibel ,

They said they are an iOS/Mac person.

Which is also hilarious because they linked paid software as a method of getting around YouTube ads.

something_random_tho ,

Step 1, Download Firefox. Step 2, install uBlock Origin. There is no step 3.

colderr ,

Ios doesn't have extension support on ios though

jimp ,

You can use Safari and an extension like Vinegar. I’ve not seen an ad since

colderr ,

That is a very fair point

I personally use hyperweb, that gets rid of every ad atleast for me

OrgunDonor ,
@OrgunDonor@lemmy.world avatar

Orion browser on iOS

It allows use of chrome and Firefox extensions, and ublock origin works.

colderr ,

Oh I didn't even know that

Andromxda ,
@Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

It can be kinda buggy though. You can just use 1Blocker or AdGuard to block ads in Safari, or use a browser with an integrated ad-blocker like Brave or Firefox Focus

pineapplelover ,

Firefox focus and brave browser does it

Andromxda ,
@Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

1Blocker or AdGuard for Safari, alternatively just use Brave Browser or Firefox Focus

ModernRisk ,
@ModernRisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Just because someone has a MacBook, it doesn’t mean they cannot use uBlock.

Just download Firefox and install uBlock, problem solved.

Andromxda ,
@Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

There are ad-blockers on iOS and macOS, e.g. 1Blocker or AdGuard

TypicalHog , (edited )

I do BRAVE + SPONSORBLOCK + UBLOCK_ORIGIN (custom filter rules for nuking shorts) + YT_DLP (for downloading all videos I care about in case they get nuked (deleted, privated, terminated, blocked in my country and such))

Canadian_Cabinet ,

You're doing it almost right, just gotta dump Brave

LWD ,

What's the best browser to recommend to people who want to dump Brave but either can't or won't switch to Firefox, due to things like unoptimal behavior of sites like YouTube while playing games, for example?

The best I've come up with is Thorium, a de-Googled Chromium fork, optimized for speed.

subignition ,
@subignition@fedia.io avatar

What are you referring to by unoptimal behavior? I'm curious because I use Firefox and have never had issues watching YouTube videos while gaming.

LWD ,

Live streams will stutter badly when a game is going on, something I have experienced in Firefox but not Chrome.

And of course Chromium has billions of dollars at its disposal while Mozilla can't even accept donations from users for Firefox so it's not exactly surprising that the browser with worse funding and management doesn't run as well.

subignition ,
@subignition@fedia.io avatar

Strange. I've never had an issue like that and Firefox has always performed just fine for me. Sorry to hear you're having issues.

Warl0k3 ,

Are you using hardware acceleration? I frequently watch livestreams while gaming and have never had this issue except for when hardware acceleration was disabled.

TypicalHog ,

Why exactly do I need to dump Brave?
Alos, some extensions I'm using and can't get without also don't work in non-chromium browsers, at least atm.

TypicalHog ,

Why so many dislikes? Do people not like adblockers, or YT_DLP or Brave? Or all of them? I'm SOOOO confused!

ModernRisk ,
@ModernRisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I think it is because of Brave, there was some controversy about it.

TypicalHog ,

I wish people told me about it instead of just mashing the downvote.

oo1 ,

freetube?

LWD ,

You've got two options:

  • Fight back with ad blockers. Tubular or ReVanced on Android, uBlock Origin on PCs.
  • Pay up. (This is the unethical option.)
wreckedcarzz ,
@wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world avatar

B-b-b-but think of the shareholders!

MystikIncarnate ,

How will they afford to buy another yacht?

With the money they already have? Don't be foolish.

LWD ,

To paraphrase Louis Rossman, he doesn't need the fraction of a penny he'd get from you wasting your time, and if YouTube wants your money then they should earn it.

VirtualOdour ,

Sure but he also monetizes videos rather than turn it off, let's say every browser by default blocks adverts and skips sponsored segments is he still going to support it?

The argument that a behavior is acceptable because only a small amount of people do it is a bad argument, if he doesn't like adverts he has the actual option to turn them off and not to accept sponsorship. His income comes from the fact most people watch the adverts so he supports and agrees with the advertising model.

Sure you can argue it's not worth the effort to stop 5% of users freebooting but when is it worth the effort? If creators can't afford to create because there's no money in it then the platform dies, so where is the line?

reddig33 ,

I’d pay up if it wasn’t so overpriced. YouTube wants me to pay more than HBO for videos made in people’s basements.

Magister ,
@Magister@lemmy.world avatar

For me it was a video of a big fat Hawaiian guy in a pool or something, I saw it for years, hundreds of time, in my "recommended feed". I now know this is a singer, Israel, but I never ever clicked on the thumbnail, and it always came in my feed, I never knew why, after a few years it disappeared I guess the algorithm has a limit of 2000 print per user or something? At one time it said "ok, this user will not watch it, let's bother someone else for middle-aged healthy ad" ?

Brokenbutstrong ,

Desktop: ublock origin

Android: revanced

Android TV: SmartTubeNext

IOS: sideloadly + uYou+

Hugh_Jeggs ,

A simple solution for Samsung TVs would be a godsend

ben_dover ,

disconnect it from wifi, and use an Android tv dongle for "smart tv" features

Andromxda ,
@Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

You can also use FreeTube on desktop if you prefer a native client. If you want to use your browser, there are private frontends for YouTube that also block ads: Invidious and Piped. Both can be used with LibRedirect, which automatically redirects all YouTube links to your desired frontend. Other options for Android are LibreTube, NewPipe and Tubular. On iOS you can use Yattee with this guide, it's on the app store, so you don't even have to sideload it. It also works on iPadOS, macOS and tvOS. If you have an LG TV, you can use this app for webOS.

Iceblade02 ,

This is speculation, but I suspect long-form ads are snuck in occasionally to catch out people who have auto-play on whilst doing something with their hands occupied.

Someone who just lets YT run auto-play in the background might not notice/be able to skip the ad running.

VirtualOdour ,

Yeah, supper annoying when i put on a Playlist while I start working clay and get those thirty min adverts with an old man pretending to have invented batteries powered by a cornflake or how he's uncovered a scheme from the inland revenue where they'll give you 164% return on your investments if you buy war bonds for the battle of trafalgar.

It's about the one time I'd consider using voice to control my computer

reddig33 ,

It doesn’t make sense unless people watch it and buy the product. Otherwise the advertiser is just throwing money away.

Iceblade02 ,

Don't underestimate the impact of ads.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere-exposure_effect

reddig33 ,

A five minute or longer ad is more likely to have the negative exposure impact. If anyone bothers to watch it at all.

RainfallSonata ,

Who still isn't using ublock origin?

SupraMario ,

Or a pi-hole, i haven't seen YT ads in a long time.

Veraxus ,

¿Por que no los dos?

randombullet ,

PiHole blocks YouTube ads?

What block list are you using?

DacoTaco ,
@DacoTaco@lemmy.world avatar

It doesnt, it cant as the ads come from the same hostname as the videos itself afaik

ArtVandelay ,
@ArtVandelay@lemmy.world avatar

*subdomain, but yes that's correct

deweydecibel ,

Aside: when I can no longer download videos to avoid ads, I'll stop watching YouTube videos.

Why do people keep saying this like it's a "fuck you"? They know, and they don't care. If you're not watching the ads or paying for the subscription, they don't give a damn what you do.

I mean, I agree with the sentiment, but the way people keep spitting these words out with such spite and aggression is just funny to me.

"If you stop me from watching YouTube, I'm going to stop watching YouTube. I'm fucking serious."

Delphia ,

"If you persist in trying to make money off the free service you offer, I will be forced to stop being a drain on your resources!"

xc2215x ,

That sounds insanely annoying.

Schlemmy ,

You get ads? Pihole, Firefox + Ublock origin...

mechoman444 ,

Also revanced for Android mobile.

Andromxda ,
@Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Or LibreTube, NewPipe, or Tubular. Yattee with this guide on iOS/iPadOS/tvOS, SmartTube on Android TV, this on LG webOS

Legend ,

Pipepipe and invidios too

Psythik ,

Also SmartTubeNext for Android/Google TV.

mechoman444 ,

The five minute ad is just the icing on the crap cake. I have like 6 or 7 different plugins on my web browser just to make the YouTube site usable.

Absolutely everything on YouTube is predicated on somehow showing you an ad.

They're just min/maxing everything for full exposure.

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