Predictably, YouTube's announcement about its new in-stream video ad format, did not go over well with users. Responses to a post on the company's blog range from the typical “you've ruined your service” comments, to users wondering about revenue sharing options.
Much of ire seems to be directed at this statement from YouTube: “If you choose not to click on the overlay, it will simply disappear, so that you're in full control of your YouTube experience.”
As a number of people point out, involuntarily being subjected to video ads is not “full control” over one's YouTube “experience.”
It would seem that many people prize ad-less content as one of the keys to the YouTube experience. User taminhthien writes:
But despite some attempts at clever analogies like user PHPerik who writes, “it's like putting a billboard on Mona Lisa,” most users seem to miss the part of the announcement where the ads are opt-in for the content producers and limited to videos from YouTube's various content partners.
In spite of the initial outrage, we believe most users will accept the new ads in the long run, though several competing video sites did claim to see a significant jump in new user registration following the YouTube announcement.
