Pewdiepie, who is one of the faces of YouTube Red, defended the paid service from some of its criticism – but not all.
He acknowledged that there were some legitimate criticisms of YouTube Red, including skepticism of YouTube itself.
YouTube is world-renowned for tragic updates, glitches and various other problems. Viewers have been annoyed by everything from Google+ to videos not showing up in subscription boxes (which still occurs).
However, Felix argues that YouTube Red will probably be a good thing for content creators, as it helps counter the rise of Adblock.
Pewdiepie Says That Adblock Is Devastating for Small Channels
Felix tackled the criticism of YouTube Red’s most publicized and contentious selling point – ad removal. Although YouTube Red actually includes a lot more than just ad removal, the feature was the most heavily publicized.
He explained that YouTube has yet to actually turn a profit, and is struggling to attract daily users. Advertisements are not exactly resulting in increased purchase behavior, and YouTube is being challenged by streaming competitors like Amazon.
From his own analytics, Felix calculates that around 40% of his viewers use Adblock, a figure that used to be a mere 15-20%. “It will keep growing.”
Felix revealed one of the most common criticisms of YouTube Red: “Why should I pay $10 a month when Adblock is free?”
While Felix says he is okay with his fans using Adblock on his videos – YouTubers, in general, are all losing ad revenue to Adblock.
Who’s the hardest hit? Small channels. “This [percentage] can be devastating.”
Felix Says That YouTube Red Helps Counter the Effects of Adblock Use
He wrote that YouTube Red was created in a bid to help counter Adblock usage, because Adblock use “has actual consequences” – especially to small channels.
“Using Adblock does not mean you are being clever and are above the system,” he wrote.
However, he admitted that there were many other questions that have yet to be answered. For example, nobody actually knows how the new revenue-sharing model will actually pan out for content creators.
“Will YouTube Red actually be beneficial to small channels? Is the price justified?” he asked.