Is YouTube loading slow on your device? Google says THESE users may experience ‘suboptimal viewing’

livemint.com:

Google seems to be pressing heavily on YouTube users to stop using an ad blocker for the video streaming service and instead subscribe to the company's premium subscription for an ad-free experience. The YouTube Premium subscription costs ₹1,290 for a 12-month subscription, ₹399 for a 3-month subscription and ₹139 for a one-month subscription.

Also Read| YouTube declares war on Ad-Blockers: View ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium YouTube began a crackdown on ad blockers in June as a limited test, prompting users with ad blockers to either allow ads on YouTube or consider paying for a YouTube Premium subscription while watching their favourite videos. Now, however, the company appears to have gone a step further and introduced a five-second delay before a video loads for users who use an ad blocker to view the video streaming service.

Google has gone so far as to say that users using an adblocker will experience "suboptimal viewing" regardless of the browser they use. In a statement to Android Authority, YouTube said, “To support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and allow billions to access their favorite content on YouTube, we’ve launched an effort to urge viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad free experience.

Users who have ad blockers installed may experience suboptimal viewing, regardless of the browser they are using." Moreover, YouTube communications manager Christopher Lawton told The Verge that disabling the ad blocker should resolve the issue for users. However, some users may still experience a temporary delay in loading the webpage until their browser has refreshed.