YouTube May Now Display Black Screens and Mute Videos as Ad-Blocking Circumvents Server-Side Ads

To counteract the use of ad-blocking software that directly blocks all advertisements on the YouTube platform, Google has been engaging in a technical tug-of-war with the community. Google continually develops new ad-detection methods to thwart users' use of ad blockers, while ad-blocking developers tirelessly craft countermeasures to continue blocking ads and various prompts.

Google's latest strategy involves injecting ad segments directly into videos via the server-side, a method that doesn't rely on frontend script calls and theoretically makes it harder for ad blockers to intervene.

However, as long as the start and end times of these ad segments can be identified, it's possible to skip them entirely, allowing for an uninterrupted video playback. Yet, ad blockers have not fully adapted to this new form of advertising, leading to instances of black screens during viewing.

On Reddit, some users have discussed this issue, and the popular ad-blocking extension, uBlock Origin, recently updated its rules to block these ad segments. However, it can't skip them, so the ad segments are replaced with black screens and silence. After the ad segment ends, video and audio resume as normal.

Currently, the black screen issue doesn't seem to be a significant problem in the community. Many users are indifferent as long as ads are blocked, believing the absence of sound doesn't majorly impact their viewing experience.

Google still hopes users will subscribe to YouTube Premium to bypass ads, benefiting both YouTube's revenue and content creators' earnings. If everyone blocks ads, it reduces the ad revenue shared with creators, potentially hindering their ability to deliver quality content.

Nonetheless, the rising cost of YouTube Premium subscriptions is also a deterrent for some users unwilling to initiate or renew their membership.