DuckDuckGo, known for its attention-grabbing privacy-safe ads running across YouTube and streaming TV, this week give its users the ability to block most video ads, specifically those on YouTube
video advertisements when its playing in its browser.
The company explained in a blog post that its YouTube ad detection and blocking is based on the open-source community filter lists from
uBlockOrigin, an open-source content blocker designed to protect privacy and block ads, trackers, and malware.
DuckDuckGo noted it now also applies rules for better compatibility, but viewers
may see longer buffering times when using the blocker and some unexpected hiccups may surface.
"YouTube Ad Blocking is already on by default for most iPhone, Windows, and Mac users," according
to DuckDuckGo's blog post published Wednesday. "It will be auto-enabled for Android soon, but users can opt in via browser Settings in the meantime."
DuckDuckGo set YouTube Ad Blocking on by
default for iOS, Windows, and Mac.
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The immediate impact for advertisers is an expected dip in total available web impressions when viewers use the DuckDuckGo browser, not
the native YouTube app where the vast majority of mobile viewing happens. As available ad slots decline on the platform, CPMs for the remaining slots may rise.
YouTube serves an estimated 300
billion to 750 billion global ad impressions per month, according to reverse-engineered industry benchmarks.
Industry studies, such as data from digital strategy firm Humble & Brag, a YouTube growth agency for startups, show that typical new channels with less than 1,000 subscribers see a baseline of 100 to 1,000
impressions in its first 48 hours.
If a new video triggers positive initial signals such as a high clickthrough rate and strong audience
retention, the algorithm scales up quickly, which is how a new video can spike into a 12,200 impression range within its first 24 hours, according to Humble & Brag May data.
On
all devices, users of DuckDuckGo's ad blocking technology can disable or re-enable YouTube Ad Blocking any time from their browser’s Settings. They also can turn it on and off while
watching a video.
YouTube Shorts are fed directly into a swipeable feed. Users do not need to click a thumbnail to view them, so the algorithm can test a Short by serving
thousands of
impressions in a matter of hours, heavily inflating day-one metrics, according to Humble & Brag.
Long-form
videos rely heavily on CTRs. When the video thumbnail doesn't attract a seed audience, the algorithm stops serving impressions, often leaving brand-new creators stuck under 500 impressions, according
to a Reddit post.