YOUTUBE is ramping up the number of adverts shown on its platform in a desperate bid to generate more cash.
Viewers are reporting seeing as many as 10 unskippable adverts in a single break following a recent update.
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It means that users of the U.S. video platform’s free tier are growing increasingly frustrated by distracting pauses while they watch.
Ad breaks on YouTube typically appear before a video begins and sometimes in the middle of a clip if the creator allows it.
They are a means of maintaining the platform and supporting creators, according to Google, which owns YouTube.
The tech giant launched a paid-for tier, YouTube Premium, in 2014, which lets users pay a fee to use the site without ad breaks.
Now it appears YouTube is squeezing more out of viewers who don’t wish to fork out £11.99/$11.99 a month for Premium.
Over the past month, some users have noted that the number of adverts shown on YouTube appears to have ballooned.
Multiple reports on social media claim that multiple unskippable adverts are being shown per break.
One screenshot posted on Twitter shows FIVE adverts being displayed before content can be watched.
Another screengrab suggests that users are being shown ten adverts before they can get back to watching.
According to a string of posts on Reddit, ad breaks in longer videos are happening as frequently as every few minutes.
The news has panicked some users, who have branded the change “disgusting”.
One Twitter user wrote: “The devil works fast but YouTube works faster at making bad choices”.
Another said: “Imagine wanting to watch a video on how to help one of your loved ones who is choking and you get 10 unskippable ads before you can watch the video.”
Others were more supportive of the change, with one Twitter user writing: “This is good, creators should get paid more now. I don’t know why people hate adverts so much.”
YouTube has not announced plans to expand its advertising programme.
The platform reported record advertising revenue last July, raking in $7billion – more than double its revenue the previous quarter.
However, tech companies are feeling the pinch this year due to a sluggish economy as a result of record inflation.
Netflix, Google, Microsoft and Meta have all taken measures to cut costs this year amid an industry-wide downturn in profits.
A YouTube spokesperson told The Sun: “At YouTube, we’re focused on helping brands connect with audiences around the world, and we’re always testing new ways to surface ads that enhance the viewer experience.
“We ran a small experiment globally that served multiple ads in an ad pod when viewers watched longer videos on connected TVs.
“The goal is to build a better experience for viewers by reducing ad breaks. We have concluded this small experiment.”
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