If you've ever wondered why YouTube goes so hard on ads when they make the experience so miserable, well, there's your answer.

YouTube made a record $36B from ads in 2024, $10B of which was in Q4 alone. YouTube is cracking down on ad blockers to boost revenue, podcasts are boosting viewership. YouTube is dominating TV ...

In response, Google has intensified its crackdown on such freeloaders, particularly in 2025, by introducing extreme deterrents like unskippable ads lasting several hours.