YouTube may have found a way to show advertisements in videos that ad-blocking tools and services could not bypass. Reportedly, the video streaming platform from Google is testing server-side ads that are delivered as part of the videos and not separately. Consumer technology news platform 9To5Google has reported, citing a third-party ad-blocker browser extension developer SponsorBlock, that YouTube is “currently experimenting with server-side ad injection.”
Server-side injection means that YouTube is now making advertisements and sponsored segments part of the video, rather than delivering them separately on the web, desktop or mobile app client. Since this process makes ads part of the videos, ad-blockers could not detect such ads. In an on-going process where ads are delivered separately by YouTube, third-party ad-blockers intercept these separately sent packages and remove advertisements from a streaming video. However, if YouTube adopts server-side injection broadly, it would make ads indistinguishable from the actual videos making it difficult for ad-blockers.
According to the report, SponsorBlock said that “all timestamps are offset by the ad times.” It essentially means server-side injected ads extend the video timeline, making the timestamps – required to create chapters – go berserk.
Though reported to be in experiment, server-side ad injection has already started affecting some users who rely on browser extension ad blockers for YouTube. On Reddit, some users have reported that while using the Ublock extension on Firefox browser, they are experiencing mid-video ads.
YouTube’s crack-down on ad-blockers began last year when the platform started showing pop-up messages asking users to disable the ad-blocker to watch videos on the platform. Google’s video streaming service further extended its effort to third-party ad-blocking apps earlier this year. At that time, YouTube said that those who are using third-party apps to block ads in the free tier may experience buffering issues while watching a video or see an error message that says, “The following content is not available on this app”.
YouTube has not officially confirmed the testing of server-side ad injection, however, it could prove to be an efficient way of cracking-down ad-blockers as YouTube further pushes its premium subscription to those who want an ad-free experience.
First Published: Jun 14 2024 | 12:22 PM IST