YouTube: Reports Of Slow Loading “Unrelated” To Ad Block Detection

YouTube: Reports Of Slow Loading “Unrelated” To Ad Block Detection

YouTube has denied that reports of it loading slowly for users with an ad blocking tool installed have anything to do with its efforts to detect ad blockers.

A number of technology sites had reported that YouTube users had been experiencing significant drops in page loading speeds if they were using an ad blocker.

YouTube views using an ad blocker as a violation of its terms of service and has recently been taking action to discourage the tech’s use. First, users will be greeted with a pop-up message that reads, “Ad blockers violate YouTube’s Term of Service”. Then, the message suggests that users turn off the ad blocker and are unable to continue watching without doing so.

The technology sites have now said that, if the first effort is unsuccessful, YouTube is artificially slowing its page load speed to make the experience unbearable for users with ad block. Citing posts on Reddit, 9to5Google said that YouTube was “laggy and unresponsive, seemingly all of a sudden” but disabling ad-blocking tools restores normal service.

“We tested this theory ourselves, and sure enough, YouTube looks sickly whenever an ad blocker is enabled. Videos buffer incredibly slow, previews refuse to load properly, and entering theatre mode or fullscreen is impossible without refreshing the website,” wrote 9to5Google’s Andrew Romero.

“This is mostly due to an artificial timeout written within YouTube’s code to act as a laggy internet connection. While this action taken by YouTube isn’t brand-new, more users are starting to see the tactic in use”.

YouTube, however, has denied this is the case, with a spokesperson telling WLT: “Recent reports of users experiencing loading delays on YouTube are unrelated to our ad blocker detection efforts. Our help centre offers troubleshooting tips for users experiencing issues”.

Clearly, both 9to5Google and YouTube cannot both be correct in their assessment of events.

YouTube has been on a mission to ramp up its ad block detection efforts and now offers users the chance at a completely ad-free experience with YouTube Premium. According to the Social Shepherd, there are only 26.7 million YouTube Premium subscribers. Considering that YouTube is estimated to have 2.7 billion monthly active users, advertising would be far more lucrative for the firm.

Latest News

Women Paving the Path In Tech & Loyalty Share Key Insights
  • Technology

Women Paving the Path In Tech & Loyalty Share Key Insights

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and loyalty, women are not just breaking barriers but reshaping the future. As we celebrate International Women’s Day and rally behind the theme of investing in women to accelerate progress, we made a conscious choice to forego the statistics that underscore the ongoing journey towards true gender parity. Instead, […]

Empowering Change: Women Leading The Generative AI Revolution In Marketing For International Women’s Day
  • Marketing

Empowering Change: Women Leading The Generative AI Revolution In Marketing For International Women’s Day

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, “Inspire Inclusion”, establishes a poignant tone for fostering authentic change. It perfectly mirrors the dynamic landscape of marketing, where change is the only constant. The last third-party cookie has finally crumbled, privacy laws are tightening, and now, Generative AI is quickly ushering in a new era of […]

Stevie-Ann Dovico Moves From NAB To Beyond Bank
  • Fintech

Stevie-Ann Dovico Moves From NAB To Beyond Bank

Stevie-Ann Dovico (lead image), has made the shift to customer-owned, Beyond Bank as its new chief information officer. The announcement came via Linkedin with happy to share that she is “ready to create real impact for and with our people, customers and communities” in her new role. Dovico replaces Fiona Floyd, who left the role […]

Redefining Tech Leadership: Deputy’s C-Suite Now 80% Women
  • Technology

Redefining Tech Leadership: Deputy’s C-Suite Now 80% Women

Deputy, the leading global people platform for hourly work, has announced the appointment of Sejal Patel Daswani (lead image) as its new chief people officer, resulting in a shift in the composition of its senior leadership, with women now making up 80% of the company’s C-Suite. Daswani has led people functions at every stage and […]

Acronis Names Cybersecurity Channel Veteran Kelly Johnson As General Manager For Australia & New Zealand
  • Technology

Acronis Names Cybersecurity Channel Veteran Kelly Johnson As General Manager For Australia & New Zealand

Acronis has appointed Kelly Johnson (lead image)as the new general manager for Australia and New Zealand. Johnson will lead the channel-focused business, strengthening relationships with distributors and supporting partners to meet the cybersecurity demands of modern businesses in the region. With the growing pressure on Australian businesses for cybersecurity and the drive to comply with […]

Aquent Salary Guide Reveals The Gender Pay Gap Persists In Marketing, Design & Technology Fields
  • Marketing
  • Technology

Aquent Salary Guide Reveals The Gender Pay Gap Persists In Marketing, Design & Technology Fields

Aquent has released its 2024 Australian Salary Guide for marketing, design, and technology talent. This year, it explores how marketing, design, and technology roles are expanding, deep dives into gender pay gaps, and examines the movement of salaries year-on-year—both in growth and decline. Paired with Aquent’s 2023 Talent Insights Report, the Salary Guide helps organisations […]

Tech Salaries Continue To Steady Out As Businesses Remain Cautious
  • Technology

Tech Salaries Continue To Steady Out As Businesses Remain Cautious

The hiring market is experiencing significant change, fluctuating between a frenzied candidate-short market and a more cautious employer-driven market, according to Talent’s ‘More Than Money Salary Guide 2024’. Tech and digital salaries continue to steady out but remain strong for key skillsets such as cybersecurity and AI. The report features key salaries, roles and skills […]

Surging Job Satisfaction For Australia’s Young Tech Workers Amid Labour Market Cooling
  • Technology

Surging Job Satisfaction For Australia’s Young Tech Workers Amid Labour Market Cooling

While 2021’s big workplace trend was The Great Resignation, 2024’s big trend is likely to be ‘The Big Stay’ in Australia, concludes modern HR platform HiBob in its latest research of young Australians working in the tech sector. The combination of decreasing Australian job vacancies and a remarkable increase in job satisfaction among Australia’s young tech workers in 2023 […]