Pissed off YouTube viewers search clarification for hour-long unskippable adverts (Up to date: Clarification)

Replace: January 27, 2025 (10:14 PM ET): We’ve heard again from Google, and the corporate gives the next assertion:

Advertisements are a significant lifeline for our creators that helps them run and develop their companies. That’s why using advert blockers violate YouTube’s Phrases of Service. We’ve launched a worldwide effort to induce viewers with advert blockers enabled to permit adverts on YouTube or attempt YouTube Premium for an advert free expertise.

The YouTube proprietor explains that regular non-skippable in-stream adverts are restricted to simply 15 seconds in size. The corporate additional acknowledges its efforts to detect customers making an attempt to dam adverts, and its curiosity in discouraging them from the apply. If that also continues, Google reserves the appropriate to disable playback. It emphasizes that this can be a last-ditch response to probably the most incalcitrant advert blockers, but when that’s what it involves, Google’s keen to chop them off.

The corporate additional defined that some advert blockers can distort the playback expertise, which is presumably why some viewers are experiencing extraordinarily lengthy unskippable adverts. It pointed us in direction of YouTube’s advert format guidelines, which clearly state that in-stream unskippable adverts on cellular are restricted to fifteen seconds in size and people on TV are restricted to a most of 60 seconds. YouTube maintains that it doesn’t deliberately serve unskippable adverts which are minutes lengthy, not to mention an hour.

Authentic article, January 24, 2025 (10:31 AM ET): Most of us hate YouTube adverts at this level. What began off as minimal intrusion into the viewer expertise has regularly change into longer and extra intrusive, to the purpose the place many people desire simply paying for YouTube Premium and by no means seeing one other advert once more. For some customers, that isn’t a possible possibility, in order that they need to make their peace with watching adverts to help their favourite creators and the YouTube platform. Recently, nonetheless, customers have been getting actually lengthy, unskippable adverts, lengthy sufficient to query whether or not the video after the advert is even value it.

Reddit consumer Lin1ex has complained a few lengthy unskippable advert, with a period of nearly 58 minutes.

Many customers within the feedback talked about in addition they get adverts which are as disturbingly lengthy. One consumer claimed with out proof that they’d gotten a 10-hour-long advert, whereas one other one-upped this declare with one other unsubstantiated declare of a 90-hour advert.

Searching for proof, Reddit consumer Normal-Slip6572 has shared a picture of a two-hour and 52-minute advert for a 49-minute video!

Should you have a look at the picture carefully, you’ll discover a ‘skipping adverts’ button on the underside left, which supplies us clues about what might be occurring. Whereas none of those customers have disclosed whether or not they’re utilizing an advert blocker, the second picture clearly reveals one within the works.

It’s potential that if you’re utilizing an advert blocker, YouTube is ready to detect it and current you with an absurdly lengthy, unskippable advert. There’s additionally a chance that the advert blocker itself is glitching out the advert and its period. Some feedback have talked about that the advert blocker may have blocked the ‘Skip’ button from exhibiting up and subsequently failed to dam the lengthy advert, worsening the advert state of affairs.

Whereas these absurdly lengthy and unskippable adverts may be attributable to advert blockers, different customers are getting extra not-unbelievably-long-but-still-too-long unskippable adverts. An older thread from Reddit consumer MeGlugsBigJugs showcases a 1-minute 28-second advert, and different customers have additionally claimed the identical expertise.

YouTube has lengthy been inching in direction of longer and extra adverts totally free customers. On the similar time, the service actually hates advert blockers, too (for good cause, as they harm their backside line and what they will pay creators). Customers have one clear possibility: to pay for YouTube Premium and keep away from the adverts. However typically that doesn’t work both, so the following best choice is to make peace with the adverts or spend your time elsewhere.

We’ve contacted Google to inquire concerning the present higher restrict for advert durations on YouTube and to study extra about this problem. We’ll maintain you up to date once we study extra.

What’s the longest unskippable advert you might have seen on YouTube? Had been you utilizing an advert blocker on the time? What platform did you get the advert on? What did you do subsequent? Vote beneath and tell us extra within the feedback beneath!