Does anyone with some more insight know why they don't offer such an option?
The ads are there not because of costs (they help, of course), but ironically as a mechanism to ensure you keep coming back.
Really? The only way to educate users about other similar shows is to interrupt the viewing experience with intrusive ads?
If I like the video I am watching, I'm going to go to the creator's profile or channel or just click on one of the videos that appear after I've finished watching. Personally, I find these ads annoying and not effective. (I can't remember the last time I clicked on an in-video ad)
There seems to be this idea in marketing that if you promote yourself in a way that forces the user to be exposed to your message, you will be more effective and successful. The more effective companies, however, seem to focus on creating advertising that people want to see and create products that people like to use and will recommend.
One point. People who are advertising often aren't the same people who made the existing content. They want you to discover content you otherwise would not have come across. Hence, why they prefer to advertise and interrupt you.
Advertising in general is a very big topic, one I personally dislike, but in general exposure to a message makes a person more likely to purchase something all other things being equal. I recommend you look into brand campaigns and anchoring. There are many successful campaigns done by companies for which consumers hated the ads; we should see one from a minor soda company at the super bowl, for example.
Edit: I hadn't seen the SodaStream ad until now. It clearly fits the 'make products people want' category and is only derided by competitors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE9U4mMqKP4
I am against using ad block, so I just quit going to Youtube as much.