How do you think Youtube, a free online service, sustains itself?
Any online service that you think that you are using for free is actually not free. They are always paid for in one way or the other. Otherwise, It wouldn’t be possible to keep them going. The same is the case for Youtube.
So where does the revenue to sustain Youtube come from? The answer is simple. They come from ad views.
If you find out that you cannot skip an ad while watching a video on Youtube, it means that you have come across an unskippable ad. To know all about why you cannot skip the ads on Youtube and if there is a way of getting rid of them, keep reading this guide to the end.
Why Does Youtube Show Ads In Between Videos?
Youtube started allowing ads to be shown along with videos in January 2009 to expand scopes for more revenue and monetization. Since Youtube was acquired by Google in 2006, they have looking for newer ways to sustain the biggest online video platform.
Ads are an efficient way of gathering revenue and giving more people opportunities to earn from this video platform.
Youtube’s recent terms of service also state that ads will be shown on creators’ videos who have not opted for their channel to be monetized. These creators won’t be paid for the ads that show during their videos.
To earn revenue from ads, Youtube content creators have to join the Youtube Partner Program.
There are some requirements to join the Youtube Partner Program that prevents smaller content creators with fewer watch hours and subscribers from joining and getting the revenue for the ads they serve along with their videos. Backlash has been seen from the Youtube community because of these terms.
Ads were skippable before but Youtube has recently rolled out unskippable ads to increase views. Although, not all ads are unskippable.
Check out the types of ads on Youtube elaborated in the following section.
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What Types Of Ads Are Shown On Youtube?
The ads that you see on Youtube are not all unskippable. There are also skippable ads that Youtube shows to its viewers. Skippable ads were there before and recently Youtube has started showing non-skippable ads too to get more views on the ads.
The main types of ads on Youtube are explained here. Go through the types of ads to get an idea about them and why they are skippable or not.
These are the types of ads shown on Youtube:
1. Skippable Ads
These ads are mostly shown at the start of videos. There is a compulsory 5-second watch time for these ads after which you can skip it. Otherwise, they will keep running for minutes.
Advertisers are charged when skippable ads are viewed for more than 30 seconds, if the viewer finishes watching the ad, or if the viewer takes any action by clicking on the ad and gets taken to the product’s link. So, it is a low-investment option for anyone trying to advertise their product.
These ads tend to reach a wide number of viewers and are relevant to them most of the time. This is for the contribution of Google’s search engine algorithms.
2. Non-Skippable Ads
As the name says, you cannot skip these ads when they start playing while you are watching Youtube videos. They are 20-second long videos with quick messages regarding any product. This was reduced from 30 seconds, which was the duration of non-skippable ads on Youtube before.
Non-skippable ads are of three types:
1. Pre-Roll Ads
When you click on a video on Youtube, pre-roll ads start playing before you can watch the video. They aren’t very long so you have to wait to be able to watch the actual video.
2. Mid-Roll Ads
In the middle of watching a video, it may suddenly stop and play mid-roll ads. After the ad ends, the video resumes from where it stopped earlier. There may be several mid-roll ads popping up during a video. It depends on the duration of the video that you are watching.
3. Bumper Ads
These non-skippable ads appear at the end of a video. Advertisers don’t usually opt for this kind of ad because they play for a few seconds only and they don’t get that many views.
Read more on why YouTube won’t let me sign in.
Why Can’t You Skip Youtube Ads?
There are several reasons why Youtube has started to show unskippable ads to its viewers. The motives at work for which you cannot skip a Youtube ad are closely tied to revenue generation for Youtube and its creators, and for the profit of the advertisers.
The motivation of Youtube for showing unskippable ads to its viewers is discussed here. Check them out in order to be clear about why you can’t skip certain ads on Youtube. 
Here’s why you can’t skip some ads on Youtube:
1. Making Sure Ads Reach The Target Audience
Most viewers on Youtube skip ads if they start playing. This means that the advertisers are spending money on these ads for nothing. To make sure the ads are available for the targeted audience, Youtube has made some ads non-skippable so that these ads get more views.
2. Helping Content Creators Who Create The Ads
Ads are also content that is created by ad creators. If ads are not viewed by the people, then these creators would be out of commission. So, to help the content of ad creators reach their audience, Youtube doesn’t allow you to skip certain ads. Or else, it is unfair for those creators who have to give so much effort to create the ads.
3. Gathering Profit For The Advertisers
The point of advertisers presenting their products through ads on Youtube is to attract more people to the product. If people do not view the ads, they won’t even know anything about the product that the advertisers ware trying to sell. If the ads do not get them any profit, advertisers would no longer pay Youtube to show their ads.
Since Youtube does not want to lose their biggest revenue, they made it so that you cannot skip ads.
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4. Raising Brand Awareness
New businesses and other initiatives are emerging everywhere and to allow them to get some exposure, Youtube has made it compulsory to watch some of the ads that are shown while watching videos. This is done so that new businesses get a good chance of being discovered so that their brands are more recognizable to the public.
5. Helping Content Creators Earn Revenue
When the ads shown during a creator’s video meet certain criteria, they earn some revenue for those content creators. So, to introduce an opportunity for Youtube’s content creators, non-skippable ads have been introduced so that the creators’ revenue is maximized.
6. Decided By Advertiser
It is actually the advertiser and the ad creator’s decision to make their ad non-skippable. If you cannot skip an ad on Youtube, it means that the advertiser has opted for the non-skippable option.
7. Being Unable To Skip Ad For Problem With Browser
If you cannot skip the skippable ads on Youtube, it might mean that there is an issue with your browser that is causing the problem. There are some browser extensions that may cause this hitch.
You can verify if this is the cause or not by opening the same video using another browser on your computer.
How To Get Rid Of Youtube Ads?
As you already know by now, some Youtube ads cannot be skipped and if they start playing, your only option is to watch the whole ad. Even then, if you do not want to see the ads at all, you could go for a Youtube Premium subscription or use a browser/extension that blocks ads.
It is suggested that you watch the ads because it helps out the advertisers and the creators. If you don’t want to, then just go for the any of the options mentioned above
Conclusion
Youtube can be considered a technology that has stood against the test of time by becoming even better. As of today, it also has a lot of derivatives. Youtube has given rise to an entire industry.
Ads have made it possible for Youtube to sustain itself because it is an effective way to make revenue.
For this, Youtube shows you some ads that are not possible to skip. You will know details about why ads are not skippable after you have gone through the content of this guide.
