If you disable monetization in YouTube - will your views go down? Thoughts

In a recent YouTube experiment, the question of whether disabling monetization affects the number of views a video receives was put to the test. The creator of a small to medium-sized channel decided to disable ads on all of their videos, except for shorts, for a period of one to two days. This allowed for some subjective analysis on the possible impact of ads on the YouTube algorithm's promotion of videos.

The creator's personal opinion is that advertisements have a minor influence on how YouTube promotes videos. When ads are enabled on all videos, the platform is more likely to prioritize them as it aims to attract more viewers and advertisers. Conversely, videos without ads, although still eligible for running ads by YouTube, may experience a slightly lower number of views.

The creator acknowledges that this observation could vary from case to case and encourages others to conduct their own experiments by disabling ads for a day. While the decrease in views may be marginal, around 2%, there seems to be a tendency for non-monetized videos receiving fewer views. This is likely due to YouTube's preference for promoting videos with ads and advertisers attached to them.

However, it should be noted that YouTube can still run ads on videos even if creators don't enable them, thereby taking all the monetization revenue. In this scenario, there appears to be a correlation between disabling ads and a potential decrease in visibility within search results or recommendation algorithms. The creator also mentions that if the content quality remains consistent, disabling ads may result in a slight decrease in views.

Ultimately, this quick observation prompts further discussion on the topic. It raises questions about the relationship between monetization, ad presence, and video performance on YouTube. As the experiment was based on personal opinion and subjective analysis, it would be valuable to gather more data and conduct additional experiments to derive conclusive insights.

What are your thoughts on this matter?