this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2024
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  • YouTube is testing server-side ad injection to counter ad blockers, integrating ads directly into videos to make them indistinguishable from the main content.
  • This new method complicates ad blocking, including tools like SponsorBlock, which now face challenges in accurately identifying and skipping sponsored segments.
  • The feature is currently in testing and not widely rolled out, with YouTube encouraging users to subscribe to YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.
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[–] MudMan@fedia.io 0 points 5 months ago (11 children)

OK, can I be real about this for a second?

I'm torn about Youtube ad stuff. Genuinely.

On the one hand the ads suck, we have a good way to bypass them and I certainly don't want to watch Youtube videos if the ads are unskippable.

On the other hand, if I'm being honest I watch more Youtube than Netflix or Amazon Prime and I sure give those guys money for a subscription. If I counted the cost per watched minute, Youtube Premium would make way more sense than a bunch of subs I do pay.

But I also don't want to watch a Youtube that is a paid service. That was never the point. The reason I engage with it so much is it's supposed to be UGC, not TV.

So yeah, torn. Youtube is very weird and the relationship we all have with it is super dysfunctional, creators and viewers alike. We made a very strange future and now we have to deal with it.

[–] PriorityMotif@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I feel really bad for smaller creators because they spend so much of their time on the algorithm treadmill just trying to get more views. There's a channel size threshold where you really have to work more than you get out and I see a lot of people getting burned out trying to make a living from yt.

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 0 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Then clearly it's not a smart choice to make videos and have them uploaded to a scummy place like YouTube.

Their issues are not my problem. I have my own stresses at work, you don't see me bitching about it to strangers online.

Don't like your job or the terms your forced to adhere too, quit.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

So... because you had a bad they should not even attempt to pursue their dreams and make art/"art"?

Also... I really hope your job is a perfect wonderland with no ethical or moral complications. Otherwise, it is your fault for working there instead of somewhere else, obviously.

We live in a late stage capitalistic hellscape and still snipe each other constantly. Everybody would rather fuck over everyone else than show any degree of solidarity.

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 0 points 5 months ago

Not once did I say they shouldn't persue anything...if I'm presented with a contract from work which I don't agree with,I'm looking for a new job...

Also... I really hope your job is a perfect wonderland with no ethical or moral complications. Otherwise, it is your fault for working there instead of somewhere else, obviously.

It would be my fault for staying somewhere that is objectively bad for me...yes..it's not your problem, it's mine..

Why is it the customers responsibility to fix the companies problem for the employees...explain.

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[–] PriorityMotif@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago

That's why we should kill it

[–] untilyouarrived@lemm.ee 0 points 5 months ago (6 children)

I pay for YouTube Premium. I get a lot of value from it, and streaming video isn’t cheap. I don’t think it’s reasonable for anyone to think they should provide it for free.

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 0 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Yeeeah, but my issue with that is they generated the expectation that it'd be free by using their investment money to muscle out smaller competitors. There was a time where Youtube was the biggest of a set of UGC video sites and some of the others were competitive. Now it's the only real alternative.

So from that perspective they made their bed, now they sleep in it.

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[–] RandomStickman@kbin.run 0 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I used to whitelist yt on my ad block because a I know portion of it goes to the creators. Then yt took advantage of me by adding more and more intrusive ads. Now I support creators directly whenever I can.

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 0 points 5 months ago

That's a fair point, I do pay for subs in some smaller sites. A lot of the time I still watch the Youtube version because... well, that way the creators get paid twice and I'm probably already on YT, but still.

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[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 0 points 5 months ago (2 children)

The problem is that user generated content still takes time. Which means money. Also, people don't want vlogs with a drywall background anymore and the number of creators who can get away with simple prop free skits are double digit, at best. So making the videos also cost money.

People make up this fantaasy land where art should be done with no compensation to be pure. Which ignores that the vast majority of art in human history was either made by the independently wealthy or as a "patron" system where... an independently wealthy person paid an artist to make them look good.

And that even extends to the modern day. People get angry about "nepo babies" but... it takes a lot of time and money to refine your music to a meaningful degree. The garage bands that get discovered playing at a local bar are VERY much the exception and almost everyone universally considers their best albums to be the first couple after they got signed by a label and could drill down and refine it.

Youtube and the like are basically the first time that "the everyperson" could make art for a living. Unfortunately... that means they need to get paid. Ads are of very questionable use. Youtube Premium is almost universally praised by any creator who is willing to talk about it. But we need some way of paying those mid tier creators who are popular enough to do it for a living but not popular enough to get 120 bucks a year from their fans to upload MAYBE one video (looking at you Michael Reeves).

[–] snooggums@midwest.social 0 points 5 months ago

Early youtube with the drywall backgrounds in skits or just random bits of life were what made it fun. The fact that the majority of the content now means it is just another streaming service with an expected income for someone instead of being something they did in their spare time. The switch from amateur to professional content ruined youtube.

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[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 0 points 5 months ago (4 children)

If only I had a client with support for fast forward... Oh right. I do. Neat.

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[–] Aggravationstation@feddit.uk 0 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Damn, this could stop Invidious, Piped and Newpipe from being able to block ads.

[–] nekusoul@lemmy.nekusoul.de 0 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It might take a lot more effort, but I don't think this will be the end. Google is required by law to label ads as such, giving these tools an opportunity to detect and skip them.

[–] GreatDong3000@lemm.ee 0 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Is there a loophole where they could delay the ad marking like 5 seconds into a longer ad so you'd have to watch at least 5 seconds before an extension can detect it? Is the law specific about it having to be marked as an ad for the entire duration?

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago

It will be after the inevitable lawsuit happens about 0.0002 seconds after they fully roll this out.

[–] nekusoul@lemmy.nekusoul.de 0 points 5 months ago

That would mean running an unmarked ad for five seconds, which would create an interesting legal question. But YouTube also buffers content a good chunk of upcoming content, so there's enough upcoming video material to check.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 0 points 5 months ago (5 children)

What law (and jurisdiction) are you thinking of?

My understanding is that this would be covered with a blanket note on the page if it detects you aren't running Premium.

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[–] foggy@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago

Lol this would mean that every website running a looped video in the bg will now haved ads play. Nice.

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[–] shortwavesurfer@monero.town 0 points 5 months ago (7 children)

Go right ahead. If they actually manage to do it, that will be the end of my YouTube watching. Except on extremely rare occasions. I don't need it badly enough to deal with that.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Same.

I'm excited for YouTube to end my YouTube addiction lol.

Please, Google. Do it. Dare ya.

[–] chris@lemm.ee 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I genuinely spend too much time on that site, but I haven’t seen an ad in years. If that changes, then I guess I’ll have to change, too.

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[–] kakes@sh.itjust.works 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Ngl, I'm torn on this because I'm honestly not sure I could stop using YouTube.

I hate ads with a burning passion, though, so we'll see which wolf wins out there.

If i can't get around this using something like SponsorBlock, I feel like I'll probably just set up some kind of pipeline to download videos and remove the ads myself (maybe using AI if it's that bad) and just serve them over Jellyfin or something. Gonna be a pain, though.

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[–] wagoner@infosec.pub 0 points 5 months ago (13 children)

As we learned from the reddit app changes, the ending of Netflix account sharing, etc etc the people who will take this action are few enough not to matter. Regretfully.

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 0 points 5 months ago

That doesn't matter to me. When a company does shit like this, I won't use it and will actively avoid it. People can do what they want and if they want to be abused constantly that's on them. I don't really care. I make my choice and I stick with it. Change will never happen with companies, they don't care unless they actually get charged more then the money they make from their abuse and we all know that will never happen .

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (3 children)

People will accept anything to not be inconvenienced in a purely consumer society.

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[–] ArtVandelay@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (10 children)

It sounds like this would be easy for tools like SponsorBlock to label and skip segments as ads. However, it would be tough on smaller channels where people might not be labeling them as such.

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[–] PriorityMotif@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Sponsor block has entered the chat

[–] RandomStickman@kbin.run 0 points 5 months ago

Problem is the ads are not widely rolled out so user timestemps would be off depending if there's an ad OE not

[–] clubb@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago

I am experiencinf this. The ads are unskippable, and they replace the video until they end

[–] mercano@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (6 children)

I don’t get why so many people begrudge YouTube for trying make money. They serve up 5TB of video data every second. Somebody’s got to pay for all of that. They know ads suck, that’s why they sell no ad subscriptions.

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[–] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

sometimes the best move is not to play

[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago

As is, I can’t make it through a 30 sec ad. I will peace out 100% of the time.

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Don't get why they don't just embed them in the middle like a few growing and actually good channels I watch do with their content.

I just fast-forward but they're embedded in the content so there's not really a way to "block" them but I don't mind skipping if im not interested like 45-60 secs.

Ads are the worst at the start and more tolerable in the middle, altho that is reversed for music where the content needs to maintain continuity

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 0 points 5 months ago

Ads are the worst regardless of where they are. I have never once given a shit about whatever garbage they try to push. I don't give a rats ass about them, their ads or anything they do. Provide a service and thats it. I actively avoid companies that try to shove ads in my face. I basically buy NOTHING anymore because of it and my bank account is SOOOO much better off these days. Constantly saving tons of money because of my fuck you companies attitude.

[–] dorumon@lemmy.world 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Guess I'll just be blocking YouTube.com on my DNS server and all subsequent Google URLs. I am fed up with their nonsense anyway.

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