YouTube has Youtube Red, which is a premium version of YouTube that vows to deliver ad-free video streaming experience.
YouTube Red when first launched, promised to deliver original contents, unobstructed by any promotional materials. However, the search giant Google that owns it, seems to be changing its heart
Some users are seeing ads on what should be an "ad-free" platform. Those ads are running on both its home page and underneath certain clips. Frustrated by the change, Youtube Red Users have taken their complaints to Reddit.
The ads however, appear to only a limited extent, so some users were unable to reproduce the ad experience. Some have reported Red in showing pre-roll ads, something that is strictly the opposite of what Red’s terms and services promise.
One YouTube Red users has reached out to Google to express his dissatisfaction, and he got the following response from YouTube support:
With YouTube Red, you shouldn’t be seeing iBanner ad, image ad, pre-roll ad, ad that shows before their video starts (often 30 seconds or skippable after 5 seconds). This includes ads before and during a video, as well as banner ads, search ads, and video overlay ads. You may still see branding or promotions embedded in creators’ content that isn’t controlled by YouTube. Ad-free videos are supported across all devices and platforms where you can sign in with your YouTube account – including on compatible smart TVs/gaming consoles and the YouTube, YouTube Music, YouTube Gaming and YouTube Kids mobile apps, if they’re available in your location."
The thing is that, Google didn't ever mention about the possibility of 'print ads' showing up under Red membership's details. In fact, it explicitly goes on to guarantee an ad-free experience, saying that:
With YouTube Red, you won’t see ads hosted by YouTube such as pre-roll or mid-roll video ads, banner ads, search ads, homepage banner ads, and in-video text-overlay-ads.
Other promotional content such as video annotations, links to other videos, trailers, or featured or recommended videos may appear.
While our policies do not permit creators to include ads in their content, there could be instances in which a creator includes product placements, incidental branding, or third party-ads in their videos. A typical example of this is a live stream of a concert or sporting event."
Users are disappointed. They say that at least Google should have warned subscribers about this.
For the price comparable to the other streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu, YouTube Red promised its subscribers an ad-free experience of everything YouTube has to offer, with the added ability to watch videos in offline mode, background playback on mobile devices. The complete removal of ads is the biggest factor for most users that choose to subscribe.
But Red in turning to be just like the freemium 'ordinary' YouTube service, is like forcing Red subscribers to use any third-party ad-blockers to get the same 'ad-free' experience it once promised.
The appearance of ads in any form on YouTube Red can prove to be potentially bad news for Google, and also for the goodwill of its users that could diminish if the company kept on allowing "print ads" to slip into the ad-free premium service.
