Is removing the video control playbar a dark pattern?

Question

Lately, I've been finding more and more videos (mostly those with marketing purposes) that are don't have the so called "playbar", ie. the timeline control that allows you to jump inside the video to any point you want. They leave only the Play/Pause button and volume control.

Personally, I find this annoying but they ultimately reach their goal, which is me watching the full video.
Is this a dark pattern? Are there any studies or statistics about the average engagement with and without the playbar enabled? How can the impact of this decision be quantified in terms of UX?

Answer 1

Probably not.

Users who don't want to engage can simply pause the video or disable sound. Very few users will need to seek content, however, as there's little point replaying an advert and if the user wants to convert, there's usually a CTA or hyperlink nearby.

This is probably just streamlining.

Answer 2

It depends on the audience, that the video site is trying to get. Usually when a video player only has a play button, and sound toggles, it represents a fast medium to deliver content. (This could be an ad spot). But there are so many options you can choose on a video player now a days. From toggling download speed, to whether or not to see annotations through out the video.

Again, it all depends on who the audience is. Because you have less options in your video player, that might indicate you don't want your audience to be confused or have too many options. You just want them to sit back and watch the movie (similar to what you had said before).

I don't believe options on a video player are going away, anytime soon.

Hope this helps :)