fyi:
- https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp lets you download videos (from youtube and also hundreds of other sites)
- for desktop, https://mpv.io/ is free and lets you watch youtube (or any other video) at even more and faster speeds than youtube premium does, among many other features
- for android, https://newpipe.net/ lets you play youtube in the background (and download videos, and block ads, …)
- https://ublockorigin.com/ blocks ads everywhere (and yes it does still work on youtube, at least in firefox anyway)


I have the impression that youtube rolls out these types of changes gradually, possibly based on location
Edit: Just checked, still works for me too
For me it’s only 4x they’re charging for (so far) which is admittedly approaching ludicrous speed… but nonetheless, charging for it is awfully petty.