YouTube is facing backlash over an aggressive tactic targeting free-tier users who use ad blockers. Despite offering a free, ad-supported version, YouTube has recently increased the duration of ads for viewers who attempt to bypass them, particularly those with ad blockers.
In 2025, this has escalated to unskippable ads lasting for hours, with some users reporting ads spanning up to 90 hours, though the accuracy of this claim is unverified.
Google has confirmed the ad length issue, with statements from the company highlighting that regular in-stream ads are typically 15 seconds on mobile and 60 seconds on TV.
However, the extended ads seem to be a response to users attempting to avoid these ads using various methods, including location proxies, modified apps like Vanced, and adblocker extensions.
Reddit users have shared their experiences, with one image showing an ad lasting 2 hours and 52 minutes before a video that was only 49 minutes long.
While Google denies intentionally serving long ads, it stands by its right to force users into watching ads or subscribing to Premium.
This move, although controversial, aims to push viewers towards subscribing to YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience, a step that might deter freeloaders and push more users to consider paying for the service.
YouTube also has the ability to stop playback entirely for users attempting to bypass the ads.
