YouTube has made a subtle yet significant change to its web embeds, quietly removing the ability to click on video titles to open them on YouTube.com or in the YouTube app. This change, which has been in effect for about a year, has been frustrating users and publishers alike, with many assuming that it was a deliberate design choice. However, the real reason behind this move is more complex and financially motivated.

According to Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, the issue lies with YouTube's decision to degrade the user experience of the embedded player used by publishers like Vox Media. This player, known as the YouTube Player for Publishers (PfP), has been around since 2016 and allows publishers to sell their own ads at higher rates while still maintaining a presence within the YouTube ecosystem. However, around the beginning of this year, YouTube removed all branding from the publisher player, including the title link back to YouTube.

The catch is that if publishers want to restore the title link, they need to use the standard YouTube player, which would require them to give up their ad revenue and control to YouTube. This means that publishers are faced with a difficult choice: either accept the reduced user experience and maintain control over their ad revenue or switch to the standard player and sacrifice their revenue.

YouTube's spokesperson, Mariana De Felice, explained the reasoning behind this change, stating that the modified player provides publishers with greater control over the ads experience but removes YouTube branding and links back to YouTube. This move is intended to protect YouTube's advertisers and partners, but it ultimately comes at the cost of a degraded user experience.

The implications of this change are far-reaching, highlighting the complex dynamics between platforms, publishers, and advertisers. As Patel notes, this is a "tiny example of the modern platform internet that tells a huge story about how everything else works." The decision demonstrates YouTube's willingness to prioritize its ad revenue over user experience, and it raises questions about the balance of power between platforms and content creators.

For publishers, the choice is clear: either adapt to the new reality and potentially sacrifice revenue or find alternative solutions that may not offer the same level of integration with YouTube. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how this change will impact the relationships between platforms, publishers, and advertisers.

In the meantime, users will need to adjust to the new norm, where clicking on a video title will no longer take them to YouTube.com or the YouTube app. While this may seem like a minor inconvenience, it speaks to a larger issue of platform control and the ongoing struggle for dominance in the digital advertising space.