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Comment by vprcic | Hacker News Reader

> There is a simple way to stop watching ads: pay for premium. It's 100% effective and works right now.

For now. With the ever increasing number of "premium" services that promised no ads, but slowly start introducing them, it is just a matter of time before YouTube does the same.

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At which point, if it ever gets to that, you're free to stop paying them. I do not understand what point you're making here.

Yeah the problem for YouTube is that they bundle a bunch of other services with the premium package. They occasionally conduct surveys to gauge user awareness of these features. I myself don’t use any of them, just the ad-free experience.

Thus trying to reintroduce ads to the premium users will remove the only reason I’m paying for it in the first place.

Not the poster, but the point I think that Google is engaging in a clear-cut bait and switch. First, "free email, good UX", "free video hosting, minimal ads". Then, once the dependency sets in, use a standard playbook of degrading the lower tiers and charging for removing the inconveniences.

I am not claiming that Google is the only company doing that; it is not. But there is a reason that bait and switch is illegal in most places. My 2c.

This is not bait and switch, going by the definition on the Wikipedia page. It's closer to 'dumping' where goods or services are supplied below cost to drive out competitors.

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