Forum Discussion

homebody1966's avatar
homebody1966
Channel Surfer
6 years ago
Solved

How To Block YouTube Ads On Roku

is there a way to watch YouTube with no ads on Roku?
  • RokuTannerD's avatar
    RokuTannerD
    6 years ago

    homebody1966  Thanks for the note. For questions about a channel's features or functionality, you'll want to reach out to that channel provider directly for more information. 

    For YouTube, you may be able to sign into the YouTube channel using a YouTube Premium subscription in order to limit or eliminate ads during playback, but you would need YouTube to confirm whether or not that functionality is supported. You can reach out to their support team here: https://support.google.com/youtube/?hl=en#topic=9257498

     

    Thanks,

    Tanner

  • EddiePadre's avatar
    EddiePadre
    5 years ago

    I am telling  that Roku cannot remove ads, only Android system in other streaming devices can. I know that Roku doesn't run Android.

RokuTannerD's avatar
RokuTannerD
Retired Moderator
6 years ago

homebody1966  Thanks for the note. For questions about a channel's features or functionality, you'll want to reach out to that channel provider directly for more information. 

For YouTube, you may be able to sign into the YouTube channel using a YouTube Premium subscription in order to limit or eliminate ads during playback, but you would need YouTube to confirm whether or not that functionality is supported. You can reach out to their support team here: https://support.google.com/youtube/?hl=en#topic=9257498

 

Thanks,

Tanner

PSlacker's avatar
PSlacker
Newbie
5 years ago

Strange that I get almost no ads on my Samsung tablet when using its YouTube app, but an absolute ton of them when using Roku's YouTube app. This doesn't seem as simple as "we at Roku have no control over this", and it feels disingenuous for Roku to merely suggest that we pay YouTube a hundred bucks a year to solve the problem.

Surely you don't expect me to believe that if YouTube has tailored the Roku version of their app to be far more annoying than YouTube's own Android app, there's nothing Roku can do about it?  Is Roku a powerless victim of mean old YouTube? ie "we're going to give your customers a worse experience than on other platforms, and since we're YouTube you just have to accept our terms" ??

Maybe it's time to look into other products (especially with Black Friday coming soon).

  • W7PM's avatar
    W7PM
    Newbie
    3 years ago

    Exactly, I'm watching YOUTUBE on my WIN 11 Desktop (signed into EDGE via my normal Google account) LITERALLY NO ADS...

    As soon as I move over to the TV and open up my YOU TUBE app on my ROKU, bam, adds every 5 minutes, no matter which GOOGLE account I'm logged into.

    What's worse, is that the ADS are getting worse. Not just a 15 second ad before the video starts, but several every video of over 3 minutes long, then a final ad at the end.

    It's WORSE than Broadcast TV.

    I for one, make it a point to BOYCOTT every advertiser I see on YouTube.

    YouTube used to be fun, but now its a pain to watch even a few minute long video. Shame of Youtube for ponying up with the evil GOOGLE Corporation.

     

     

    • atc98092's avatar
      atc98092
      Community Streaming Expert
      3 years ago
      W7PM wrote:

      YouTube used to be fun, but now its a pain to watch even a few minute long video. Shame of Youtube for ponying up with the evil GOOGLE Corporation.

      Google owns YouTube, and has since 2006. 

  • atc98092's avatar
    atc98092
    Community Streaming Expert
    5 years ago
    PSlacker wrote:

    Strange that I get almost no ads on my Samsung tablet when using its YouTube app, but an absolute ton of them when using Roku's YouTube app. This doesn't seem as simple as "we at Roku have no control over this", and it feels disingenuous for Roku to merely suggest that we pay YouTube a hundred bucks a year to solve the problem.

    Surely you don't expect me to believe that if YouTube has tailored the Roku version of their app to be far more annoying than YouTube's own Android app, there's nothing Roku can do about it?  Is Roku a powerless victim of mean old YouTube? i.e. "we're going to give your customers a worse experience than on other platforms, and since we're YouTube you just have to accept our terms" ??

    Maybe it's time to look into other products (especially with Black Friday coming soon).

    I get just as many ads on YouTube with my Shield as I do with any Roku device, and it's an Android device. It is not Roku doing it. Perhaps Samsung has some sort of deal with Google to reduce ads on their devices. And yes, Google certainly could be the "mean old" provider that wants everyone to use a Chromecast device. And yes, there's nothing Roku can do about the user experience on any channel they did not develop. Roku themselves are only responsible for The Roku Channel and Roku Media Player. 

    • Frankw2's avatar
      Frankw2
      Newbie
      5 years ago

      they make SMART YOUTUBE ( NO ADS ) for android. I use it but not for ROKU. I saw a video showing it but did not understand how they did it. Google should make a ROKU app.

      • fluke's avatar
        fluke
        Roku Guru
        5 years ago
        Frankw2 wrote:

        they make SMART YOUTUBE ( NO ADS ) for android. I use it but not for ROKU. I saw a video showing it but did not understand how they did it. Google should make a ROKU app.

        Google did make an app for Roku.  The YouTube available on Roku is from Google.

        "SmartYouTubeTV" by Yuriy Lyskov is not Google.  His app is not available through official methods (either Google Play or the Amazon App Store).  Instead, using it requires using what Android refers to as "Unknown sources" which is disabled by default.  There are trade-offs in installing apps through this unofficial method.  It is important to understand the security/privacy risks doing this.  However, explaining in full detail about Android goes beyond the scope of this forum.  I will leave it up to the reader to research for themselves.

        It should be noted that the type of fearures Yuriy Lyskov provides is similar to an YouTube app written by Microsoft for the Windows Phone.  Google blocked the app and forced Microsoft to remove it from distribution.  Several articles written at the time included a statement from Google that the Microsoft's YouTube app violated YouTube's Terms of Service.

        The fact Lyskov's creation exists outside of official channels is not an indication Roku can do the same thing.  Rather, Roku would just be forced to honor Google's demands just the same as Microsoft was force to.

        Which brings us back to that YouTube for Roku is made by Google and works exactly the way Google wants it to.  They give three official ways to deal with YouTube ads:

        (1) Watch the YouTube ads

        (2) Or pay $12 per month to get YouTube Premium ad-free

        (3) Or do not use YouTube

        There is no middle ground provided by Google and the situation is outside of Roku's control.  If you find political ads troubling or upsetting, there is no option to opt-out of only political ads.  If you find it upsetting to get the same ad over and over for a "newspaper" that is known for spreading misinformation (and even had it's ads banned by Facebook as a result), there is again no option to opt-out of just that.  It is all or none, you either reward Google with $144 per year in payments to get rid of all the ads or you do not.

        It should be noted that there will be no YouTube Rewind video for 2020 to celebrate the "positive" contributions YouTube provided this year.  So, maybe they are waking up to how horrific an experience YouTube has been this year.  But I'm not holding my breath.

  • TimDSM's avatar
    TimDSM
    Newbie
    4 years ago

    I recently got a new Roku 4K and noticed the adds on YouTube blew up. I wasn't getting near the adds on my older Roku device. I get the business end of this and appreciate YouTube. I'm sure the strategy here is a monthly membership to eliminate the annoyance. Creative business strategy. Another streaming device wanting there $5-10 a month piece of the pie. - Irrelevant, Inappropriate, Repetitive. All the above ! 

    • atc98092's avatar
      atc98092
      Community Streaming Expert
      4 years ago

      TimDSM Roku has no control over the ads you see on YouTube. Blame Google for the increased ads, not Roku. And Google can see what device you're using, so they absolutely can send more ads to Roku devices over something else, or even different model of Rokus. 

  • Amarcuzzi's avatar
    Amarcuzzi
    Newbie
    5 years ago

    On my 3rd generation Apple TV, the advertisement appears only at the beginning of the video. On the Roku Ultra, initially and then every 5 minutes

    • fluke's avatar
      fluke
      Roku Guru
      5 years ago
      Amarcuzzi wrote:

      On my 3rd generation Apple TV, the advertisement appears only at the beginning of the video. On the Roku Ultra, initially and then every 5 minutes

      Majority of sales for 3rd gen took place over 6 years ago?  The 3rd gen was discontinued and replaced 5 years ago.

      I am guessing Alphabet Inc crunched the numbers and decided it wasn't worth trying to change anything.

      If Apple tried to force similar behavior for 5th generation devices, I think Alphabet Inc. would take "corrective" action.  They have already taken action against Microsoft in the past.

      As to videos coming up every 5 minutes, I have only seen that when watching short videos such as 10 minutes in length.  YouTube seems dedicated to play an ad at the half way point.

      Ultimately, I don't think promoting ad skipping tools will work in the long term.  It will just be a cat and mouse game.  Rather we need to be asking for more alternatives to YouTube.  I think it is the lack of competition that is resulting in the aggressive behavior on the part of YouTube.

    • EddiePadre's avatar
      EddiePadre
      Binge Watcher
      5 years ago

      Yes, in Roku YouTube is a great problem with ads, every 5 minutes.

      • atc98092's avatar
        atc98092
        Community Streaming Expert
        5 years ago
        EddiePadre wrote:

        Yes, in Roku YouTube is a great problem with ads, every 5 minutes.

        Take it up with Google. Roku has no control over what is streaming via the YouTube channel. Google wants you to subscribe to YouTube, and in exchange for your money they remove the ads. 

  • Jumper5's avatar
    Jumper5
    Channel Surfer
    4 years ago

    I have the same experience as PSlacker: many more adds on the Roku YouTube app than on the YouTube app on my tablet.  I counted: I get an ad almost once every 3 minutes on the Roku YouTube app.  What the heck  ...  The YouTube app itself is nowhere that often.  And also using the YouTube website on my Win 10 laptop, nowhere near that often.

     

    • atc98092's avatar
      atc98092
      Community Streaming Expert
      4 years ago

      Jumper5 It's completely controlled by Google. If I had to guess (and wanted to blame a conspiracy) I'd say Google is doing it to subtlety nudge people into buying a Chromecast from them instead of using some other brand player. It's the reason I use my Shield for YouTube, and use an app that blocks all ads. It's unfortunate there's no equivalent channel for Roku devices, but it would likely not meet Roku's standards and wouldn't be allowed.