I don't think I can solve these problems that far ahead. Currently, and for some good years now, YT Premium has not had any Google ads. I think subscribing to it it's presently a good value, and that's about it. We are free to cancel our subscription and do whatever adblocking we can when the ads eventually come.
I feel the outrage against the free YT, the free Spotify, and probably other services is misplaced, since these providers offer fair subscription prices that make the UX completely normal. I don't see why we, as users, should fight this. This fight could be allocated to actually pressing issues, or used as energy to give to the content itself that we get from these services.
But I guess this is something that is up to each individual.
But the outrage here is not about these, but about how "Stuff is pretty unwatchable now without them.", them being ad blockers.
One can decide that "okay, if you're not nice to me, I won't be nice to you as well". And that's fair. But then, the complaints of one party giving more hurt to the other doesn't make sense - they were in a fight to begin with. Then it's the name of the game. Ad blocking is a cat and mouse game in the first place, so if it looks like that the cat upgrades, so should the mouse.
Or, make all of this headache go away with YT Premium.
No, many of the problems listed in the wiki remains true whether or not you're on a paid plan. It's beyond absurd to spin them into an ad for YT Premium. Some of the problems are specifically about screwing over paid users, like this one:
> The YouTube Mobile app allows you to download videos for offline consumption if you have a YouTube Premium subscription. However, the app's DRM prevents you from watching downloaded videos, unless the app has "phoned home" in the last 48 hours. This caveat is not clearly disclosed on the main YouTube Premium page, instead requiring the user to navigate support articles to discover this limitation.
Imagine the disappointment of users who thought that "offline" meant "not online" instead of some Googlespeak nonsense, paid for YT Premium before going on a trip to a place with poor internet connection, only to find out that the video won't actually play. It's a trip ruined and money wasted.
YT Premium doesn't make the "headache go away," it just adds more.
Yes to all points, and the subscription still makes sense. Why not make your life easier and less cognitively burdened for a few meager dollars per month? And then re-think the plan when you are uncomfortable with it in the future.
I understand the yearn for stability, but it's futile. With services, there is no permanence, and so it's unreasonable to expect such. Even the very legal and social structure that underpins it all is constantly shifting. I suggest a hybrid solution: really take part in systems that you find worthwhile, like YouTube. Pay for it so that you can feel you did your part. And take care of yourself with a plan B, in case plan A betrays you. For example, keep a public playlist with the videos you really don't want to lose, and sync them to your hard drive from time to time with yt-dlp.
Eventually Premium will have ads too. It’s just a matter of time.