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[winjer]

YouTube rakes in record $10.4 billion from ads even as users grumble about aggressive strategy

YouTube's advertising model has long been a source of frustration for its vast user base. The platform's approach to monetization, which often involves interrupting videos with unskippable...

www.techspot.com

YouTube achieved record-breaking ad revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024, raking in a staggering $10.4 billion from advertisements alone. This astronomical figure, representing a 13.8 percent increase from the previous year, comes amid mounting user dissatisfaction with the platform's aggressive ad strategy.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai attributed much of the revenue jump to the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Combined spending on YouTube ads by the Democratic and Republican parties was almost double what they spent in the 2020 election, he said. This political advertising bonanza contributed significantly to YouTube's coffers, with over 45 million people watching election-related content on the platform on election day alone.

YouTube offers an escape from its ad-laden experience through its Premium subscription service, priced at $14 per month or $140 per year. However, many users balk at the cost, viewing it as an expensive solution to a problem of YouTube's own making.

 

[Windle Poons]

Excellent so they wont have to put the price of premium up will they...

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

They spend this much money on ads because ads are effective on the humans.

 

[poppabk]

They spend this much money on ads because ads are effective on the humans.

Except me (says everyone)

 

[Warspite]

Considering the amount of ads on Youtube recently I am not surprised they made that amount.

 

[Putonahappyface]

Not from me they didn't.

 

[Trogdor1123]

There are freaking adds ever 2 minutes on videos. It worse than cable. Ad block is a Must to make the service useable. Is there a way to block ads on an Apple TV?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Except me (says everyone)

Bingo. The only way to combat against it is to shut it off.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

This is why I won't ever feel bad about using Revanced

 

[demigod]

Yep, fuck them. I’ve been using Brave for youtube on my iphone.

 

[Hudo]

Not from me, lmao. Google can get fucked.

 

[Drew1440]

There are freaking adds ever 2 minutes on videos. It worse than cable. Ad block is a Must to make the service useable. Is there a way to block ads on an Apple TV?

Some adverts have been known to be an hour long. Thankfully it was just an oversight but I'm surprised their system even allows an advert for that length.

 

[Miles708]

And here I was, feeling bad for adblocking it all. I'll block it even harder

 

[mitch1971]

Not sure what the OP posted as I've got ADblock on.

 

[nkarafo]

I let casuals watch ads so i can use ublock and enjoy a free service without ads.

 

[Syphon Filter]

This is why I won't ever feel bad about using Revanced

i thought that died ?

 

[SJRB]

>Advertisers pay you to play ads
>Users pay you NOT to play ads
>???
>Profit

 

[Kacho]

I watch way too much YouTube

 

[StreetsofBeige]

YouTube rakes in record $10.4 billion from ads even as users grumble about aggressive strategy

YouTube's advertising model has long been a source of frustration for its vast user base. The platform's approach to monetization, which often involves interrupting videos with unskippable...

www.techspot.com

Thats nuts. I would had never guessed YT and NF sales are about the same. I thought NF would be way higher.

 

[mclaren777]

I'm just thankful that YouTube is profitable.

There was a time when the entire platform was hemorrhaging money.

 

[kunonabi]

Considering the amount of ads on Youtube recently I am not surprised they made that amount.

Yep, it's extremely annoying these days.

 

[notseqi]

what ads

i thought that died ?

its back, process is a little different now but easy as

 

[Codes 208]

What pisses me off is some of my videos have occasionally popped up with an ad now and again and i dont get a single cent

 

[Trilobit]

Excellent so they wont have to put the price of premium up will they...

What really pissed me off was when they started stopping videos and asking if you were still watching every 30 minutes or so, EVEN ON PREMIUM! That was the last straw for me. The only benefit was for them to save some bandwidth, but for the user it was a serious downgrade. I often listened to music so I could not sanction that buffoonery.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

That kid that sold it to Google for a measley amount, pray for him

 

[segasonic]

Open up another itunes account with Turkish address. Top it up with Turkish itunes gift cards. Subscribe to yt Premium from that account. Enjoy adfree Youtube for less than 3 USD a month.

 

[Paltheos]

Observations on the line graph:

1) Local peaks for youtube revenue are Q4 and local valleys for the past few years Q1, which is surprising to me. I would have expected a smooth drop through Q2 as people go outside more. Maybe the Q4 highs are a result of people actually clciking ads on the holidays?
2) For youtube, average revenue growth from '19-'21 was slower than from '22-'24 (covid presumably), and only for youtube? Eyeballing it netflix's growth has been more steady.

 

[sono]

duckduckgo browser helps escape some ads

 

[AJUMP23]

I use an Adblock. And I wish I could use an Adblock on my tv.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Except me (says everyone)

I actively avoid products that are shoved under my nose. Checkmate YT!

 

[ReBurn]

There are freaking adds ever 2 minutes on videos. It worse than cable. Ad block is a Must to make the service useable. Is there a way to block ads on an Apple TV?

You could always pay.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Richest company in the world with record breaking ad revenue, which they've themselves created and pushed ad nauseum, and yet these bitch ass motherfuckers raised the price on Premium.

 

[Trogdor1123]

You could always pay.

I actually did that for a while and it worked good in all honesty but they jacked up the price so much. I also can’t stand google as a company anymore.

You are probably right though.

 

[Sgt.Asher]

How much comes from those shitty mobile game ads?

 

[RCX]

NewPipe all the way. Vanilla YT is unusable.

 

[-Minsc-]

Excellent so they wont have to put the price of premium up will they...

How else would they make 20 Billions next quarter?

 

[notseqi]

I use an Adblock. And I wish I could use an Adblock on my tv.

you can - its very easy if you have a TV that supports certain apps

 

[AJUMP23]

you can - its very easy if you have a TV that supports certain apps

I have an lg c1. Educate me.

 

[notseqi]

I have an lg c1. Educate me.

SmartTube
>It has been successfully tested on TVs, TV boxes and TV sticks that are based on Android, including:

• Android TVs & Google TVs (e.g. Philips, Sony)
• Chromecast with Google TV & TVs with Chromecast built-in
• Amazon FireTV stick (all generations)
• NVIDIA Shield
• TV boxes running Android (many cheap chinese no-name boxes)
• Xiaomi Mi Box

https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTube

 

[MagusMajul]

They never made one penny from me I use add block

 

[Goalus]

This is good news.
So I can continue to use Firefox + uBlock Origin to consume YouTube, and they are still making huge amounts of money.
Win-win situation.

 

[Saber]

Go retards go. Defend billion worth company using ads.

 

[GloveSlap]

The amount and length of ads is crazy now. They really need to change the way ads are delivered though. Make it depend on time watched. So many times i start a video, get a 50 second ad, and then instantly get another ad after fast forwarding a bit.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

uBlock original to the rescue.

 

[Unknown?]

uBlock original to the rescue.

And freetube.

 

[poodaddy]

SmartTube
>It has been successfully tested on TVs, TV boxes and TV sticks that are based on Android, including:

• Android TVs & Google TVs (e.g. Philips, Sony)
• Chromecast with Google TV & TVs with Chromecast built-in
• Amazon FireTV stick (all generations)
• NVIDIA Shield
• TV boxes running Android (many cheap chinese no-name boxes)
• Xiaomi Mi Box

https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTube

You have given me happiness this day.

 

[Lukaku's First Touch]

Smarttube also skips the promotional bullshit some youtubers put in front and even in between, of their actual video content. I use it a lot.

 

[HoodWinked]

well deserved, as much as it gets shit on there is just no better alternative.

also I thank normies that subsidize my adblock experience.

 

[Dioica]

The ads are bloody awful. I mostly watch on my PS5, so I can't block the ads, but I do exit and restart the video multiple times until it plays without. If an ad comes up in the middle I exit the video, and again load it again and again from the middle until I get it with no ad. Even if it's only 5 seconds, I refuse to watch a youtube ad for even that long.

I do watch youtuber sponsorships though, I don't skip them. Partly because they're less unbearable, but also because I want the creators to benefit a little from me watching.

 

[RJMacready73]

If anyone knows of a way to stop the ads in the LG TV native YouTube app I'm all ears otherwise I'm stuck giving those fuckers £14/mth :-(