> YouTube premium charging to remove ads [...] and then there are sponsorship messages
That's the main reason I won't even consider YouTube Premium - pointless to pay for "an ad-free experience" when, instead, you get a 5 minute segment in the middle of a video shilling for [flavour of the month]VPN or Audible.
If you are playing a playlist of music videos, "standard" ads ruin your playlist. And music videos don't have sponsor interruptions.
That said, the "sponsor segment" has become a staple in the YouTube channels I follow, and it is noticeable, but most authors will helpfully place it in its own segment, where you can skip it. I never watch the sponsor messages, because why would I? Ads suck.
