Did someone say enshittification?
YouTube is showing more and more ads, making it almost impossible to watch long videos without interruptions. This irritates users, and YouTube is now adding a new ad format inspired by streaming services.
The rollout is starting soon on a large scale. When you pause a video, you will also see an ad during that pause. Advertisers were enthusiastic during a test, and according to Google’s video platform, users did not find it distracting.
YouTube calls the extra ads ‘not annoying’
According to YouTube, the reason for the positive response is that these ads do not interrupt the videos, which often happens now. This would theoretically ensure fewer interruptions, but whether this will work out in practice remains to be seen.
Pause ads are not new, by the way. They were previously introduced on YouTube’s TV app and can also be seen on other streaming services.
YouTube Premium gets more expensive
The purpose behind this is clear: more revenue. Those who don’t want ads can switch to a Premium subscription. This not only gives you ad-free viewing, but also access to YouTube Music, Google’s alternative to Spotify.
Still, Premium will soon become more expensive. The monthly price of the individual subscription will go from €11.99 to €13.99. The family subscription is even going up from € 17.99 to € 25.99. That’s an increase of 44.5%.
YouTube Music is also getting more expensive. The single subscription will rise from €6.99 to €10.99, a price increase of 57.2%. For the music-only family subscription, you will now pay €17.99 instead of €14.99.
The new prices will go into effect soon. YouTube will notify users via email at least 30 days in advance.
