I'm in two minds about this. On the one hand, some people make very professional videos which don't come cheap. I am a firm believer that people should be paid for their work. If you're enjoying their content and it's their only source of revenue, they have a right to be paid for their work, whether that's through showing adverts, or through a subscription-based model.

On the other hand, this isn't really about the creators making more money. It's about Google (Alphabet) making more money. YouTube content creators know that most people use ad-blockers in one form or another. Many even admit to using them themselves. It's why they find other ways to support their income, such as sponsorships, in-video ads (which people still skip anyway) selling merchandise, affiliate links etc...

However, Google don't make any money from these ways of sourcing revenue. They only make money on the ads that they themselves serve, and if most people are using ad-blockers, they are effectively running a business that must cost billions per year to run, with very little return. (I know they're still one of the richest companies in the world, but that doesn't negate my point)

The problem with the internet is that it was learned very early at the time the internet was starting to become popular, that people simply aren't prepared to pay for online content. Every website had to come up with alternative ways of sourcing revenue, most of which involve advertising in one form or another.

Alphabet are a business after all, not a charity, and apart from their sometimes bizarre rules and regulations, overall, YouTube is a pretty well run site. I think I once read that as a search engine (which many people use it as) it was more popular than the the Google search site itself.

If they got the price right on YouTube premium, I think most people wouldn't mind paying, say $5 per month. The higher they price it, the more people will not pay and look for alternatives instead. Spotify realised this. I pay $2.99 per month for it. A cup of coffee. No big deal. It stops me from going off into corners of the internet where I would otherwise download the music illegally for free.

YouTube is trialling a new anti-adblocker popup that features a timer warning when the next advert will play.

A countdown clock, which reportedly runs for 30 to 60 seconds, appears in the top righthand corner of the message, showing non-paying viewers how long they have left to take action before another ad starts.

Viewers can then choose to either “Allow YouTube Ads” or “Try YouTube Premium”.

Why we care. Banning adblockers is a great way to boost reach, however, constant notifications may negatively impact the user experience, and brands must be mindful to not annoy potential customers.

Why now? YouTube has been increasing its efforts to persuade non-paying viewers to sign up for its Premium service, which bans ads entirely, allowing viewers to watch videos without interruption. However, people have been reluctant to convert due to the rising costs of YouTube accounts, which recently increased from $11.99 to $13.99 a month in the US.

full story: https://searchengineland.com/youtube-te ... mer-430689

YT sux big shlong ... I'm a Rumble.com kinda man ...

#FOZuckerberg

I quit all my Silicon-Valley based platforms ... not easy, but I did it!!!