YouTube's Latest Move Against Ad Blockers: Video Delays

YouTube appears to be intentionally slowing down video loading for users with ad blockers enabled, displaying black screens for the typical duration of pre-roll ads. A pop-up message directs users to a Google support page about disabling ad-blocking extensions, suggesting the slowdowns are intentional. This is a shift from YouTube's previous tactics of displaying warning messages or blocking video playback entirely. The new approach inserts artificial delays, forcing users to spend the same time investment as if they were watching ads. Specific user accounts flagged for ad-blocking behavior are being targeted, potentially bypassing detection methods used by extension developers. PCWorld confirmed the behavior using uBlock Origin Lite, and Brave browser users report similar experiences despite the browser's built-in ad-blocking capabilities. This move suggests YouTube is prepared to degrade the user experience for non-paying users who refuse to view ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium, which offers an ad-free experience, offline downloads, and background playback. YouTube recently introduced a Premium Lite plan for $7.99/month that removes ads for most videos, excluding music content, Shorts, and when searching or browsing. The crackdown is part of Google's campaign against ad-blocking extensions.