- YouTube TV viewers reportedly watch longer, unskippable ads
- However, YouTube denies that these ads are tested
- An increasing number of ads appear on streaming services
A new debate has started about ads on YouTube, specifically the 90-second non-skippable ads that appear on the YouTube TV app. Users complain that they have been introduced, while YouTube insists that they should not appear.
As 9to5Google reports, an official YouTube social media account stated that the platform “does not have a non-skippable 90-second ad format” — despite users taking to the web to vent their frustration at seeing these ad blockers appear on their TVs.
This “is not something we are testing right now,” the post from the YouTube team said, adding that “we are looking into this further.” You can see some of the user complaints collected (with photo evidence) at Android Authority.
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So the ads aren’t there? They are there a lot, according to Reddit, where there are numerous reports of this happening. One poster says they’ve had four so far in a single day, while another confirms “they’re very much in existence”.
The ad apocalypse
YouTube says 90-second ads don’t exist. Do you see them? from r/youtube
While YouTube looks into this, it’s hard to know for sure what’s going on — but there seems no reason to doubt the many reports piling up from viewers of having to wait longer for ads and not being able to skip through them.
Some users are suggesting that it could actually be the case where three 30-second ads are shown in a row, without the option to skip – which would make both YouTube and its users quite technical – but at the moment it’s not clear what the details are.
What we do know is that YouTube hosts and serves an incredible amount of video content and is stepping up its efforts to try to cover the costs – whether it’s through longer ads or pushing people to sign up for YouTube Premium.
However, it’s certainly not pleasant for viewers, who are seeing more and more ads across every streaming service. Perhaps the last word (for now) should go to this Redditor: “Joke is on them because my attention span is too short for a 90-second ad.”
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