Hours-long unskippable ads spotted on YouTube. What’s going on?

Google is getting sick and tired of YouTube watchers who use ad blockers, and — no surprise — the company is stepping it up in an effort to extract (reclaim?) even more ad revenue from users.

On Reddit, one user on the r/youtube subreddit showed a screenshot of a 58-minute unskippable ad, which then prompted commenters to share their own experiences of unskippable YouTube ads ranging from several minutes to many hours. The biggest one, which we couldn’t verify, is a claim to have seen a 90-hour unskippable ad.

Android Authority reports that Google has confirmed a crackdown on YouTube users who use ad blockers. According to the report, Google offered the following statement:

“Ads are a vital lifeline for our creators that helps them run and grow their businesses. That’s why the use of ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service. We’ve launched a global effort to urge viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad free experience.”

Normally, unskippable ads on YouTube are limited to 15 seconds in duration. However, Google admits that they’re making an effort to identify ad-blocking users and discourage them from using ad blockers while watching YouTube videos.

For users who continue to block ads, Google reserves the right to deactivate video playback. The company emphasizes that this is only a last resort for the most stubborn ad blockers, but if it comes to it, Google is prepared to switch off video access.

Without an ad blocker, you have two options: accept the existent of both skippable and unskippable ads before and during YouTube videos, or pay for YouTube Premium which costs $13.99 per month. Of course, if you can’t stomach that, you wouldn’t be the only one.