Sourcepoint, a content compensation platform for digital publishers, on Tuesday released a white paper addressing publishers'
reactions to ad-blocking programs.
In a survey of 150 global publishers exploring a number of alternatives to ad blocking, respondents found some approaches significantly more
acceptable than others.
A strong 65% of publishers said they would accept direct messaging as a way to address ad blocking: that is, a popup or notice that asks users to disable ad
blockers but still allows the content to be accessed.
Locking content when users have ad blockers enabled was a more controversial solution, with an equal number of respondents on
each side of the argument.
At the other end of the spectrum, only 6% of publishers surveyed said they would agree to a solution in which advertisers pay ad-blocking providers a fee
to allow their ads to be served.
Ultimately, the white paper concludes that the issues of ad blocking and content sustainability must be addressed transparently between publishers
and consumers.
“So much of the industry conversation has revolved around the scale of ad blocking, but ad-block usage is actually a symptom of a larger issue -- and if we want
to move forward, it is essential to start looking at the underlying causes of this problem,” stated Sourcepoint CEO and founder Ben Barokas. “In order to achieve a more sustainable
solution where publishers can continue to fund their digital content creation efforts, consumers must be presented with alternative compensation options that suit individual user needs."