Do YouTubers Get Paid if You Skip Ads?

Let's face it, YouTubers need to earn a living. Keeping this in mind, it's important to do everything you can to support the creators you enjoy watching. One way that this can be done is by behaving a certain way when ads are shown on videos.

In this article, you will learn if YouTubers get paid when you skip ads on their videos and whether or not skipping ads negatively impacts a video's earnings.

If You Skip Ads on YouTube, Do YouTubers Get Paid?

YouTubers do not get paid if viewers skip ads. This is because advertisers do not get charged when their ads are skipped before the 5-second mark (unless they're using non-skippable ads).

Since this is the case, many content creators have started to only feature non-skippable ads on their videos. These six-second ads that play before a video are also known as "bumper ads". Whenever someone watches a video that features these types of YouTube ads, creators are guaranteed to earn money. 

Here's an example of a non-skippable bumper ad from Samsung:

Consider watching ads all the way through or for at least 30 seconds if you wish to support your favorite content creators. Doing so will allow them to earn money from your views, as opposed to earning nothing if you skip the ads within the first 5 seconds.

Does Skipping Ads Negatively Impact a Video's Earnings?

At this point, you might be wondering - does skipping ads hurt YouTubers? After all, if this is the case, it would be nice to know so you can support your favorite content creators by not skipping the ads on their videos.

Skipping ads causes YouTubers to earn less money. So, technically, skipping ads does hurt them in the long run. However, the performance and search rankings of their videos are not impacted negatively when ads are skipped.

At the end of the day, if you want to support your favorite content creators on YouTube, you should watch ads for at least 30 seconds or click on them. This will allow creators to earn more money from your view(s).

With this said, you're better off skipping ads and watching videos 100% of the way through than watching ads and only watching videos 10% of the way through. Keep things simple- do what leads to the best viewing experience for you.

What About YouTube Premium?

A few years ago, YouTube introduced a service called YouTube Premium. By paying $10 each month, users can view videos without having to watch ads. But how do ads not shown on videos affect YouTubers?

YouTubers are still paid for views from YouTube Premium members. They are paid royalties based on how often a subscriber watches their videos. If a subscriber watches videos from a specific channel 50% of the time, the YouTuber will be paid $5 for that month.

So, while ads are not shown to Premium users, their absence does not lead to punishment for YouTubers. Content creators can often benefit when more YouTube Premium users view their videos, as they tend to have a better viewing experience due to no ads being present.

It's important to keep in mind, however, that YouTubers have no control over who watches their videos. While some viewers will be Premium users, most will not be. So, many viewers will be shown ads, and many will skip them, leading to lower earnings.

Conclusion

You now know the answer to the question, "do YouTubers get paid if you skip ads?" If there's a creator you enjoy watching, consider watching all of the ads on their videos to help them earn more money. But, also don't hesitate to skip ads if they are too intrusive.