> Sponsor spots are the norm It is the norm, but whether the norm is good is a different question. If you speak with the creators, big or small (say a single person vs. a huge publisher), the would very much prefer not to rely on ads or sponsorships. They're forced to do so. Speaking from personal experience working with publishers and creators here.

Ironically, the biggest obstacle for me pushing the alternatives were the publishers' sales teams: people with decent salaries, with mortgages to pay, whose life depended on ads or sponsorships. Even the adtech companies I worked with were happy to pay for my work, esp. during the cookiegeddon times (2019).

> I'd argue the consent is you clicking on the video to watch it.

Fair argument but in practice, given the amount of UX work done so I do watch the sponsored content, it takes a toll on you. The only solution would be to stop using YT at all.