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Try watching YouTube without logging in through a VPN with an ad blocker. You get 5s black screens and "Experiencing Interruptions?" popups.

If they don't want people watching videos without logging in, they should gate them behind a login screen rather than fucking with their users.

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I was getting that when logged in, without VPN (but still ad blocking.)

I wasn't sure which of the parameters was causing it. Looks like ad blocking is the one, then.

That’s because you’re not a YouTube customer. You want to consume their product without paying and without viewing any ads.

They are very logically making that difficult for you. They are exercising their right to refuse service to you.

Aka a leech. Even torrent sites look down on that behavior.

Are you sure that wasn't the VPN's fault?

That is quite deliberately YouTube’s fault. It only occurs with an ad blocker (VPN is irrelevant here, though it might be rolled out only in some countries), and the “experiencing interruptions?” thingy links to an article basically telling you to disable your ad blocker.

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