YouTube’s most annoying advertising: The success leaves a lot to be desired

Who doesn’t know the problem: Just watch a short video on YouTube – oh no, that’s right, first adverts twice, then you’re good to go! Or maybe not: Wouldn’t you prefer to buy YouTube Premium? The advertisement would be gone. But who does it please?

When you think of YouTube, you might think of cat videos. Or fail compilations, TED talks, but also channels from companies, private individuals, celebrities, news – sooner or later, practically every type of video ends up on Google’s video platform. Meanwhile it practically doesn’t matter what you are looking at – almost every video has the same problem: Before that and sometimes in between, advertising is played.

Users turn their backs on YouTube: Premium version is not convincing

Probably the most penetrating of these, however, is also the solution to the problem: YouTube will be Premium regularly suggested to the “Otto-Normal-User”, a small pop-up window slides over the player from the bottom left. At a price of 11.99 euros per month, advertising should be history.

In return, users get the opportunity to play YouTube in the background – i.e. with the display on their smartphone switched off – YouTube Music Premium is also included. There is also Access to the YouTube Originals, Series and films from our own production, and videos can be downloaded.

All of this sounds suspiciously like streaming service and it is in this category that YouTube Premium has to measure up to the competition (source: Statista Global Consumer Survey 2021). If you managed to place fourth with 24 percent in the spring, things don’t look so good anymore: Only 16 percent of those surveyed said they had paid money for the ad-free version of YouTube in the past year. This means that YouTube Premium is currently number 5 among the video-on-demand services, right next to Sky Go.

The usual suspects gather on the podium: Amazon Prime Video just takes first place ahead of Netflix. Disney + has a solid, but still far behind, third position. The German provider DAZN follows before YouTube Premium.

You can find an overview of streaming alternatives in Video:

YouTube Premium: The competition is too strong

While almost a quarter of those surveyed in Germany recently bought a subscription to YouTube Premium, this is now probably over. Advertising does not necessarily attract the more insistent it is touted. In addition, there is the dynamic market environment for streaming, the strength of the large providers. I, too, prefer to go to the competition from Prime, Disney + or Netflix for exclusive content – and leave that to me Advertising on YouTube inevitably continues to get on your nerves.

But if you are now wondering whether YouTube Premium is not worth a try: The first month of the trial is free and there is no notice period after that. If you have enough, you can cancel at any time at the end of the month.