Honestly, Dailymotion feels like the wild west of video streaming sometimes. You go there to find that one obscure documentary or a French news clip that YouTube nuked years ago, and suddenly you’re hit with three unskippable pre-roll ads. It’s frustrating. It’s noisy. Most of the time, the ads are louder than the actual video content, which is a total nightmare if you're wearing headphones. If you've ever wondered how to block ads in Dailymotion, you've probably realized it's not as simple as it used to be. The platform has gotten way more aggressive with its ad-insertion technology. They use server-side stitching now, which basically blends the ad into the video stream itself, making it trickier for basic extensions to "see" where the ad ends and your show begins.
You’re not alone in the struggle.
The reality is that Dailymotion needs that ad revenue to stay afloat against the Google giant, but for us users, the experience is borderline unusable. Between the mid-rolls that cut off people mid-sentence and those sticky overlay banners that refuse to close, it’s a mess. But there are ways around it. Real ways. We aren't just talking about clicking "skip" after five seconds—we're talking about a clean, uninterrupted viewing experience.
Why Most Ad Blockers Fail on Dailymotion
Most people just go to the Chrome Web Store, search for "ad blocker," and install the first thing they see. Big mistake. Dailymotion uses a specific script that detects if an element (the ad player) fails to load. If it detects a "block," it might just show you a black screen or an infinite loading spinner. It’s a cat-and-mouse game.
Specifically, Dailymotion leverages a mix of VPAID (Video Player-Ad Interface Definition) and VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) tags. These are industry standards, but Dailymotion’s implementation is particularly sensitive to traditional "cosmetic filtering." When you use a weak blocker, the site knows. It knows you’re trying to hide the commercial. That’s why you might get that annoying "Please disable your ad blocker" popup that feels like a digital finger-wagging.
To truly understand how to block ads in Dailymotion, you have to look at how the network requests are handled. It’s not just about hiding a box on the screen. It’s about intercepting the request to the ad server before it ever reaches your browser.
The uBlock Origin Method (The Gold Standard)
If you aren't using uBlock Origin, you're basically leaving the front door unlocked. And no, I don't mean "uBlock" or "AdBlock Plus"—those are different entities entirely, some of which actually have "acceptable ads" programs where companies pay to bypass filters. uBlock Origin is open-source and stays clean.
Setting Up the Filters
Once you install the extension, don’t just leave it on default settings. You need to dive into the "Dashboard" and then the "Filter lists" tab. Make sure "Auto-update filter lists" is checked. You specifically want to ensure that the AdGuard Base and EasyList are active.
But here is the pro tip: Dailymotion often uses regional ad servers. If you’re in Europe, you might need the "EasyList Germany" or "France" filters. Go to the "My filters" tab and, if you're feeling adventurous, you can manually add rules to block the specific domain adproxy.dailymotion.com. It’s a game-changer.
Dealing with the Black Screen
Sometimes, uBlock works too well. You'll see the ad is gone, but the video won't play. This happens because the "play" command is tied to the "ad finished" signal. To fix this, you often have to enable "Annoyances" filters in the uBlock settings. This kills the script that is looking for the ad, tricking the player into thinking the ad already played. It’s a bit of digital gaslighting, honestly.
Brave Browser: The Built-in Solution
If you’re tired of playing with extension settings, just use Brave. It’s built on Chromium, so it feels like Chrome, but it has "Shields" that are remarkably good at handling Dailymotion’s specific flavor of nonsense.
Brave works by blocking trackers and ads at the engine level. Because it doesn't rely on an extension communicating with the browser, it's faster. In my experience, Brave handles the Dailymotion "anti-adblock" scripts better than almost any other out-of-the-box solution. You just navigate to the site, and the little lion icon in the corner will usually show a number like "14 ads and trackers blocked" within seconds of landing on the homepage.
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It’s simple. It works. You don’t have to be a tech wizard.
Blocking Ads on Mobile (Android and iOS)
This is where things get hairy. The Dailymotion app is an ad delivery machine. If you use the official app, you will see ads. There is almost no way around it on a non-rooted or non-jailbroken device because the ads are hardcoded into the app's API calls.
The Mobile Browser Workaround
Stop using the app. Seriously. Open Firefox on your Android phone. Why Firefox? Because the mobile version of Firefox allows you to install uBlock Origin. This is a massive advantage over Chrome for mobile, which doesn't support extensions.
- Install Firefox from the Play Store.
- Go to Add-ons.
- Install uBlock Origin.
- Browse Dailymotion.com in "Desktop Site" mode if the mobile site acting up.
For iPhone users, you’re a bit more restricted. However, you can use AdGuard for Safari. You have to enable it in your iOS settings under Safari > Extensions. It won't be as perfect as the desktop experience, but it’ll cut down those mid-roll interruptions significantly.
DNS-Level Blocking (The Nuclear Option)
If you want to block ads across your whole house, look into NextDNS or Pi-hole. These services work by blocking the DNS request to the ad server. When the Dailymotion app asks, "Hey, where is the video for this Coca-Cola ad?", the DNS simply says, "That domain doesn't exist."
The app then usually times out and skips straight to your video. It’s elegant. It doesn't require installing anything on your actual devices once the router is configured. However, be warned: sometimes this can break other apps that rely on similar tracking domains to function.
The "Dailymotion Premium" Reality
We have to talk about it. Dailymotion does have a "Premium" offering in certain markets, though it’s nowhere near as marketed as YouTube Premium. By paying, you support creators and get rid of ads legitimately.
But let’s be real. Most people are on Dailymotion specifically because they don't want to deal with the corporate structure of other platforms. If you're a casual viewer just trying to watch a 2-minute clip of a cat playing piano in 2012, a monthly subscription feels like overkill.
Technical Nuance: The Script-Let Method
There's a niche community on GitHub that maintains "userscripts" for tools like Tampermonkey. These are snippets of Javascript that run on top of the webpage. Some scripts are designed specifically to "defuse" the Dailymotion player.
They work by intercepting the adsManager object in the Dailymotion API. Basically, the script tells the player, ads_enabled = false;. It’s highly effective but requires a bit of maintenance because Dailymotion updates their site code frequently. If your ad blocker suddenly stops working tomorrow, it’s probably because they changed the name of a variable in their source code.
Why You Should Care About Privacy Too
Blocking ads isn't just about being annoyed by commercials for car insurance. It’s about data. Every time an ad loads on Dailymotion, multiple "pixels" and trackers are firing off. They’re collecting your IP address, your device type, and your browsing habits. This data is then sold in real-time auctions (RTB).
When you figure out how to block ads in Dailymotion effectively, you’re also blocking these trackers. You're making your browsing session more private. You’re saving bandwidth. You’re actually saving battery life on your laptop because your processor isn't working overtime to render a 4K ad for a product you’ll never buy.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"I enabled my blocker but I still see a 30-second countdown!"
This usually happens because of cache. Your browser has already stored the ad script. You need to clear your cookies and cache for Dailymotion specifically. In Chrome, you can do this by clicking the lock icon next to the URL, selecting "Cookies and site data," and then "Manage on-device site data" to delete everything. Refresh the page, and the new filter rules should kick in.
Another issue is "Double Blocking." If you have two different ad blockers running at the same time, they can actually interfere with each other. It’s like having two bouncers at a club door trying to check the same ID; eventually, someone gets confused and things break. Stick to one high-quality tool.
Actionable Steps to Take Right Now
If you want a clean experience immediately, don't overcomplicate it.
- For Desktop: Switch to the Brave browser or install uBlock Origin on Firefox/Chrome. Go into the uBlock settings and enable all "Annoyances" filters.
- For Mobile: Use the Firefox browser with the uBlock Origin add-on instead of using the dedicated Dailymotion app.
- For the Tech-Savvy: Set up a private DNS like dns.adguard.com in your phone's network settings. This provides a baseline level of filtering without needing any extra software.
The landscape of web advertising is always shifting. Dailymotion might roll out a new update next week that breaks these methods, but the community is fast. Check forums like r/uBlockOrigin on Reddit if you suddenly start seeing ads again; the fix is usually just a single line of code added to your custom filters. Enjoy your uninterrupted viewing.