YouTube’s new approach to prevent ad-blockers

Screenshot: BleepingComputer

YouTube is testing a new approach to prevent viewers from using ad-blockers while watching videos on its platform. Some users are getting a pop-up notice warning them that their video player will be blocked after three videos. The new alerts are part of an experiment that urges viewers with ad-blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium. The warning says YouTube will block their ability to play videos on the platform unless they disable their ad blocker or add the website to their white list. YouTube says in a notice that these ads "allow YouTube to stay free for billions of users worldwide." And if you want to go ad-free, it recommends you get a YouTube Premium subscription.

The website has confirmed that it might temporarily disable playback in "extreme cases" where viewers continue using ad-blockers. The spokesperson added that they will only disable playback if viewers ignore repeated requests to allow ads on YouTube. At the moment, this new approach only affects a small number of users, and YouTube didn’t say how many people and regions are part of the test. With the platform seeing ad revenue decline, we won't be surprised if it tries to recoup that this way (at least partly).

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Google rumoured to resurrect Stadia through a new YouTube product

Google shut down its game streaming service Stadia, but it hasn't completely given up on the idea. The Wall Street Journal claims YouTube is testing out a new gaming product called Playables that could leverage the tech behind Stadia so it could bring more revenue to the platform. YouTube may already be a popular destination for video game streaming and user-generated content. But its CEO Neal Mohan wants to expand into the gaming space further as advertising revenue has slowed down. 

Playables will supposedly have simple arcade-style games you can play on the site or app. One of the games is called Stack Bounce, where you use a ball to break a brick wall. YouTube is testing the game out with its employees now. But there is no word on how it will be monetized or when it will be available. A YouTube spokesperson told WSJ that gaming is an area of interest for the company, but it has nothing to announce for now.

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YouTube’s Aloud is a new AI feature for video dubbing in different languages

YouTube is working on a new way to let creators reach more viewers in different languages. Instead of just translating subtitles, YouTube will use artificial intelligence to dub videos with different voices. The company announced this feature, called Aloud at VidCon. Aloud is a project from Google's Area 120 incubator.

Aloud can create a dubbed version of a video in minutes using AI. It first translates the text and lets the creators review and edit it. Then it generates a voice-over with different options for narrators and publishing. The best part is that Aloud is free, as stated on its website.

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YouTube ditches Stories feature

Image: YouTubeYouTube is scrapping Stories, a feature that let users post temporary updates, starting in June. From June 26 onwards, users won't be able to create Stories and existing ones will vanish after a week.

Stories debuted in 2017 as Reels and were only available to users with more than 10,000 subscribers. They were similar to Instagram's Stories (which copied Snapchat's idea), and allowed YouTube creators to share updates or behind-the-scenes content to promote their channel. However, the feature never really took off. It had limited access, few creators used it regularly, and YouTube didn't promote it much.

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