okay the adderall is kicking in so, sorry if this is a massive wall of text, but since you asked, adblockers are great, I never use the web without one when I can, but ads are only one part of why i pay for YouTube.

here are all my reasons:

• easy adless YouTube on non-android smart TV
• YouTube music (dont have to pay for Spotify)
• auto background video downloading to save on mobile data when I leave the house
• supports more creators (albeit in smaller amounts) than I could ever afford to support via patreon or merch (and supports them directly proportionally to how much I watch thier content, so I never risk paying a creator that ive lost interest in or forgetting to add a creator’s patreon)

I would never try to convince someone else to pay for YouTube, it’s defintily not for everyone, especially when a decent adblocker will satisfy most people. But for some people like me, it just makes sense, and I don’t understand why some people get so mad to learn I’m paying for it.

Google is a gross company for sure, hell except for YouTube ive pretty much completly degoogled my life. I can use Plex for movies and shows, Proton for mail and calandar, magic earth for GPS, Firefox and DDG for search, etc. but there isnt a good replacement for YouTube especially since its one of my main hobbies. peertube and other video hosting sites really just dont compare for my usecase

ofc I think its shitty that theyre trialing showing ads to premium users in Germany, but honestly that would barely affect me if it was happening where I live. I use adblockers everywhere except my TV, so most of the time it’d be impossible for me to see an ad whether YouTube tried to serve me one or not.

if you were genuinly asking what people who pay for YouTube have to say about this, I hope that answered your question