Google Slows Down Firefox Users When Watching YouTube
If you are using the open source Firefox web browser to browse YouTube and watch its videos, then you might have noticed that there is an artificial delay that was added recently whenever you try to watch a video. Don’t worry, it’s not an issue in your machine nor a slowdown in your Internet connection.
Update
Two more sources report:
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Firefox slow to load YouTube? Just another front in Google's war on ad blockers
Upon launching a video, Firefox users have reported a delay of roughly five seconds before playback would begin. In a statement to The Register, Google admitted it was intentionally making its content less binge-able for users unwilling to turn off offending extensions, though this wasn't linked to any one browser.
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YouTube is reportedly slowing down videos for Firefox users (Update: Statement)
This does not completely explain how the five-second delay goes away when using Google Chrome. But it gives us good clarity on the behavior. Users who experience the delay are advised to either allow ads for YouTube or subscribe to YouTube Premium.