Ad‑blockers stop ad impressions, so creators lose ad revenue. YouTube is fighting back with pop‑ups, playback blocks, and server‑side ad delivery, but blockers still survive in spots. Creators need to pivot to Premium, sponsorships, memberships, and merch to recoup lost income.
What's YouTube Doing About Ad-Blockers?
Since mid‑2023, YouTube has started pushing hard. It began testing messages that warn users: "Video player will be blocked after 3 videos" unless ads are allowed or YouTube Premium is enabled. By late 2023, they confirmed a global rollout of these pop‑ups, urging users to disable ad‑blockers or subscribe.
In early 2024, YouTube declared it was ramping up enforcement against third‑party apps that violate their Terms of Service, especially those that block ads. Then, in June 2024, Google Chrome moved to Manifest V3, crippling many traditional ad‑blocker extensions on Chromium browsers.
The real shift came when YouTube began testing server‑side ad insertion (SSAI) in June 2024. That means ads are stitched into the video stream before it reaches the user device, making them nearly impossible for browser YouTube ad‑blockers to filter out. SSAI particularly broke tools like SponsorBlock, which rely on predictable timestamps that ads disrupt.
Fast forward to March–June 2025, YouTube rolled out updates that made SSAI more widespread and upgraded its anti‑ad‑block modules. Many solutions (especially uBlock Origin and Brave built‑in blocking) suddenly stopped working on YouTube.
Users on Reddit confirmed that the June 3, 2025, update effectively broke many ad‑blockers on YouTube.
Ad‑blocker communities responded with patches. For example, uBlock Origin Lite users shared custom scripts that hide YouTube’s ad‑block warning pop‑ups. But general sentiment was clear: YouTube is adapting faster than block‑list maintainers can keep up.
On the legal front, privacy advocates in the EU argue that YouTube’s ad‑block detection scripts could violate the e‑Privacy Directive, and some have filed complaints under European jurisdiction.
Why Creators Should Care
Ad-blockers cause revenue loss. Under the Partner Program, creators only earn from ad impressions that YouTube counts. Blocked or undetected ads don’t show up in analytics, royalties, or monetization algorithms.
Many estimates say 20–60% of users globally use ad‑blockers. Even if only a fifth of your views are ad‑blocked, that’s a significant slice of your payout missing, especially if you rely heavily on ads.
And because blocked views don't help retention metrics or recommendation signals, there's a double-whammy: lost revenue and reduced discoverability.
Recover Revenue Lost to Ad-blockers
Many creators heavily rely on ads for their main income. But we always recommend diversification of revenue streams. Here’s what works:
YouTube Premium Earnings
Premium subscribers pay a subscription fee instead of watching ads, but creators still earn per watch time. YouTube is pushing free users toward Premium more aggressively, so creators get an increasing share through watch metrics, and longer engagement generates more revenue per session.
Right now, YouTube Premium (and Music) has over 100 million subscribers worldwide, including trials. That’s roughly 4–5% of all YouTube’s 2+ billion logged‑in users. It’s not the majority, but it’s a chunk of viewers who are immune to ad‑blockers, and who pay creators through watch time.
Brand Deals
Pre-rolled or embedded sponsor segments bypass YouTube's ad system completely. Brands’ll pay upfront, guaranteed with tools like pin.top. That’s predictability and stability of YouTube brand sponsorships when ad delivery gets shaky.
Fan Support + Merch
Channel memberships, Super Chats, Patreon, and merch all work regardless of whether someone ever sees an ad. Offer perks or products that feel personal. Merch should be something viewers want to wear or use, not just a logo slapped on a hoodie.
These streams thrive when you invest in building a strong community connection, because people are supporting you, not just your videos.
Turning on memberships and walking away won’t work. You need to set them up right and keep them alive. Here’s how it works in practice:
OOHAMI Case: Memberships Became 30% of Total Income
OOHAMI, a Malaysian gaming channel with over 1M subs, turned on YouTube Memberships in 2020… and then ignored it for five years. In February 2024, they launched it properly: an announcement video, clear perks (exclusive videos, behind‑the‑scenes chaos, polls), and a JOIN button right on the homepage. Within 60 days, membership income grew 6.5× and became 30% of their entire YouTube revenue, from a feature that had been doing nothing for years.
Rally Point Case: +46% Revenue from Memberships in 6 Months
Rally Point, an entertainment channel, activated Memberships with a full strategy tailored to their audience. They offered members private chats, fan‑only video segments, and even physical gifts for loyal supporters. In six months, Memberships were making up 46% of their total YouTube monetization, and unlike ads, that income stayed consistent month after month.
Need help?
We create tailored YouTube monetization strategies for our partners. Drop us a line and let’s work together on stabilizing your YouTube income.
Platform Diversification
Posting teasers or short clips to TikTok, Instagram Reels, or newer platforms can spread your reach and revenue, taking pressure off YouTube ads.
What We Recommend Creators Do Now
We work with creators who already know the drill. So here's our practical, strategic take on what you should be doing:
- Dive into YouTube Analytics and monitor your Premium revenue by geography. Some countries pay better, and longer session views boost your per-minute yield. That can guide regional content tactics.
- Refocus content for watch time. Tutorials, story arcs, mini-series. Anything that keeps viewers watching longer rolls better with Premium payouts.
- Integrate sponsorship messaging early. If an ad-blocker blocks your first impression, a branded intro segment still registers for the brand and is visible to everyone.
- Educate your community. Share quick tips in your description or community tab: “If you use an ad‑blocker, consider upgrading to Premium. It really helps us keep making content.”
- Stay alert to developments. The privacy case filed could lead to new restrictions on YouTube’s detection scripts or even block enforcement in some regions.
YouTube Ad-Blockers Still Work Sometimes, but It's Patchy
As of mid‑2025, some ad‑blockers like Surfshark CleanWeb, Total Adblock, and variants of uBlock still manage to block ads under specific settings. That hurts if you're counting on ads alone.
And every time YouTube changes the rules, creators who are diversified and prepared stay ahead. AIR Media-Tech has already helped multiple creators build a multi-stream income model. Just contact us to get started.
