Why YouTube Premium still has sponsor segments—and how to skip them

Why am I still seeing sponsors with YouTube Premium?

YouTube-served ads and creator sponsorships are different things. Premium removes ads around and during regular videos, but a creator's own promotion can remain in the recording. YouTube explains that embedded branding and promotions may still appear with Premium.

If the presenter says “this video is sponsored by…” and continues speaking in the same video, you are usually hearing a creator sponsorship. It doesn't mean your Premium subscription has stopped working.

Skipping that section moves the playhead past part of the video. It doesn't remove the recording, change your YouTube subscription, or make every kind of advertising disappear.

Watching a podcast that also has a video RSS feed? You may be able to watch its video edition outside YouTube in a podcast player.

Three ways to skip sponsor segments

Skip forward yourself

Use the playback timeline or seek controls when a sponsor starts. If the creator has marked a chapter for the segment, the next chapter can help you find the return to the video. This needs no extra extension, but you have to notice the break and find its end.

Use community-submitted markers

SponsorBlock is a free, open-source extension that uses timestamps submitted by viewers to skip sponsor sections. It's an option worth trying if you want an established browser tool without another paid subscription. Coverage depends on someone submitting markers for the video.

Try transcript-based detection

Our Purer for YouTube beta analyzes a supported video's transcript to find sponsor reads. It can prepare skips without waiting for a viewer to submit timestamps. The first analysis takes time, so you may still hear a sponsor while it runs; later viewers can reuse a matching result.

Detected sections appear on YouTube's timeline and in the Purer menu. Choose Keep before a skip, Undo afterward, or pause skipping for the video. Detection can miss sponsors or skip something you wanted to hear. You can report incorrect timing.

Purer works on its own. If SponsorBlock is also enabled and exposes sponsor markers, Purer avoids overlapping skips. This is a beta, and we haven't established that it detects sponsors more accurately than SponsorBlock or other tools.

What you need for the Purer Firefox beta

• Desktop Firefox, version 142 or later. This beta is separate from the PurerPodcasts phone apps. It doesn't add sponsor skipping to the YouTube iPhone, Android or TV apps.
• An active PurerPodcasts subscription or active free trial. Existing Apple, Google Play and web subscriptions qualify. Downloading the beta doesn't buy or change a subscription.
• A temporary add-on installation. The beta is unsigned. Firefox removes it when you quit, so you must load it again after restarting. Updates are manual.
• Account connection and opt-in. Connect Firefox to your PurerPodcasts account, then enable automatic sponsor skipping. Supported video transcripts are sent for analysis; read the setup page's data and measurement details first.

If you want a permanent, one-click installation, use an established tool for now. This beta is for people comfortable with Firefox's temporary add-on setup and giving feedback.

Which videos work?

The current beta supports public, completed videos up to four hours on YouTube's desktop watch page, with a readable transcript. Shorts, livestreams, ongoing premieres, private or unlisted videos, and embedded players are excluded. If a transcript is unavailable or timing can't be used, Purer leaves skipping off.

It skips detected sponsor reads within supported videos. It does not block YouTube-served ads. A visible product placement without a sponsor read is not something transcript analysis can reliably identify. Video playback in a podcast player is also a separate feature; it doesn't imply support for every YouTube video.

If you'd rather support a creator directly, check whether they offer a sponsor-free version through a membership. You can also keep any sponsor segment you want to hear.

For audio podcasts, see our guides to Spotify Premium podcast ads and ad-skipping options in Apple Podcasts.

Checked November 11, 2026. We make PurerPodcasts and Purer for YouTube. We are not affiliated with YouTube, Google or SponsorBlock. Beta availability and requirements can change.