The Shift Away From Ad Supported Business Models

A clear shift is happening. A few years ago, this shift was viewed as impossible. The growth stage of the Internet, while it was still a bit immature from a global viewpoint, was driven by free services subsidized by ads. Pundits and experts believed that not only was this the best business and the only one which could achieve scale but that it was the one consumers preferred. The common sentiment was that consumers did not mind ads, or in some cases even liked ads but certainly, the very least tolerated them. For this reason, it was firmly believed the only way to grow a consumer business was with advertising. It seems that entire theory is now being challenged data point, after data point, emerge to show the mature stage of the Internet leading back to business models where the customer pays for something they value rather than get it for free and tolerate ads.