Yeah - it seems like this will cause a series of 5 second skippable ads that still sums up to >many seconds of unskippable ads (unless that's banned, in which case they will just see ads more often, as you say)

I expect it will make the experience worse rather than better because the publishers will try to maintain their inventory (how many seconds of ads they show per minute watched)

Are advertisers just really dead set on making our lives harder? It's a minor inconvenience, but I'm amazed anyone would go to such lengths to do it.

I understand there's money involved, but surely those who offer products must see that it's increasingly counterproductive?

Then a new regulation is needed; one that caps the ratio of seconds of ads to minute watched.

And what do you think the consequence of that new regulation will be?

Just ban unrequested ads altogether

Do you think YouTube will continue to be available in a country that does this? Or free Spotify?

Is that good? Or bad?

Good

Do you think the constituents in this country would vote for a law explicitly banning YouTube?

This could turn into the online video equivalent of the Burma Shave road signs.

> Typically, six consecutive small signs would be posted along the edge of highways, spaced for sequential reading by passing motorists. The last sign was almost always the name of the product.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave#Roadside_billboard...