(Source: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/TwzhA5a3YCYIoFC8Qz6-4DZO1vR3OHtLfkRyas60aWnsIW-OVpLDIV-lg_IiFHTIOxp7AlG9zQ=s640-h400-e365) “Adblock for Youtube” Google Chrome web extension that disables ads on videos

Vivian Lam‘s blog post talks about how Youtube is considering to implement a paid subscription service that eliminates advertisements from videos. At first glance I thought this is a great addition to Youtube’s business plan because it would definitely enhance the viewer experience. On second thought, there are some concerns that Youtube needs to consider before implementing this option. First of all, is this service really necessary? What I mean is that there are already web extensions that can be downloaded for free that blocks ads, so why would viewers pay for a service that can be obtained easily for free. Perhaps some viewers may even like watching ads because Youtube categorizes what the viewer watches and display ads based on that. Unless a viewer is extremely loyal to Youtube, an ad-free service just will not sell. More features need to be added to the subscription service for it to sell. Another concern with going ad-free is that Youtube makes a lot of money from displaying ads. Offering a service to disable ads may cause Youtube to lose money from companies that display ads on Youtube. Depending on how much money subscription service can make, Youtube may or may not be  able to cover losses from advertising companies. Frankly I do not think subscriptions can cover the losses, and there is no point in implementing such a service.