Why can’t I skip ads on YouTube? What to do

Have you ever asked, “Why can’t I skip ads on YouTube?” I’ve been there too. For some years now, you must have noticed YouTube has changed their ad strategy, right? You’ve probably tried to watch a superb video and noticed there’s a pop ad with a 5 second countdown, and it won’t be skippable until the ad plays out. 

So if you’ve not been able to skip ads until you’re done, then YouTube has a very good reason for that. There was a time when young people didn’t have a choice but to watch their favourite shows on cable TV and also watch the five-minute commercial breaks. But now that the likes of Hulu, Netflix, and HBO are here, the easiest way for companies to get their ads to younger generations is through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and many other social media platforms. 

Now, to your question, “Why can’t I skip ads on YouTube?” There are some reasons other than an issue with your browser. But keep reading. I’m about to explain what to do if you ever encounter any issues with skipping ads. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF0unQge2dc

Why can’t I skip ads on YouTube?

YouTube is trying to get people to watch these ads to help content creators. They believe it’s unfair for content creators to put in the work and make videos that help viewers and get nothing in return thanks to viewers’ skipping ads. So, they changed their strategy to unskippable ads.

YouTube started these non-skippable ads in 2018 when they realised advertisers weren’t getting the returns they expected, and so, it affected content creators and the earnings of YouTube. 

When they started these non-skippable ads on YouTube, they allowed only a certain set of creators to benefit from this, but as of 2022, every video has non-skippable ads. 

But for those of you who are reading this blog post, I’m certain the issues you have with YouTube are bigger than the above non-skippable ads.

 Now to answer your question, “Why can’t I skip ads on YouTube?” There may be many factors, such as your browser and all the extensions on it. 

Why can’t I skip ads on YouTube? and what to do.

There are different extensions that could actually mess with your browsing experience, especially if you are on YouTube. So, to skip skippable ads, all you need to do is to go through all the extensions in your browser, turn them off, and go back to YouTube to see if you can now skip your ads.

If you still keep wondering why you can’t skip any ads, it’s because the most common types of video ads on YouTube are the non-skippable ones with a timer. You have to watch them for only 5 seconds, and you can skip afterward. 

Sometimes, these things can be frustrating, and that’s the reason YouTube made it 5 seconds. They are taking four factors into consideration:

1. They have to get these ads to their targets, or else companies will stop paying them. Which means no earnings for them. 
2. When the ads were skippable, people hardly ever wanted to watch ads. They hate it with a passion. Some people even go as far as getting extensions that will stop ads from interrupting their videos, which could affect the earnings of creators.
3. These companies have made so much money from ads that if people stop watching their ads, their sales drop.
4. If creators keep losing earnings, they’ll stop creating content and you’ll get none of the free tips you’ve been getting. 

So really, it’s a win-win if everyone works together.

If you’ve been encountering unskippable ads, it’s either a browser extension problem or you’ve not been paying attention to the method of ad display. So let me help you! YouTube has skippable and non-skippable ads, and they all play a good role.

Differences:

1. Skippable ads:

These kinds of ads are common at the beginning of a YouTube video. So you never try to watch a video on any topic you like. You will first encounter these types of ads. 

These kinds of ads are superb for components because viewers have no choice but to watch the ads, but they’re given one particular option, and that is to just skip them after 5 or 10 seconds. 

Thanks to this advertisement, companies can know which people skipped it for more than the given “5 seconds compulsory watch”, which people allowed the ad to finish and finally the people who clicked on the ad. However, these ads last only a few minutes if you decide to continue watching until the end.

The good thing about this kind of advertisement is that it’s a low-risk type of advertisement for a company because they are certain that they will reach a wider audience.

With skippable ads, everybody is happy; a viewer who is trying to watch a video is happy. Why? Because they get to skip the ads after some seconds.The advertiser is certain that their ads reached their target audience. YouTube makes more money, and so do content creators.

This skippable ad is a win-win for everybody.

2. Non-skippable ads:

With this campaign, they started with a 30-second commercial, but now they’ve reduced it to just 20 seconds. One thing you have to know about this type of advertisement is that it has three types, and they are:

Pre-Roll Ads:

These play before they allow you to watch the video you want to watch. But the good thing is that they are very short-clip advertisements. So it’s not very annoying.

Mid-Roll Ads:

YouTube users have noticed that while they are watching their videos, they suddenly stop and an advertisement pops up. They call this the “mid-roll advertisement.” It can pop up more than once in a video. It depends on the length of the video you’re trying to watch.

Bumper ads:

Advertisers don’t really use this kind of advert. They play at the end of a video and it doesn’t last very long. It probably lasts just a few seconds, probably 6 or 5 seconds. 

I hope this answers your question, “Why can’t I skip ads on YouTube?” If you enjoyed this post, then comment below and let me know if the solution worked for you.