Yeah, it seems like sites that offer content without a subscription keep trying to show ads (which nobody buys untargeted because they’d be a massive waste of money). It implies that the content needs to be paid for - and that’s why they’re not all just taking a polite “no” and giving up on it.

And if you believe that Internet ads could be just as scattershot as the Bud Light, Coke, and Toyota spots on TV, consider how much of the Internet ad market is niche stuff you’d never see on TV ads because they couldn’t afford it. Consider every SaaS product: they don’t advertise on TV because their target customer is too niche. Probably 75% of ad dollars would simply not be there without targeting. People choose over and over again to get content for free, and then complain about it because everyone loves to complain. No one loves opening their wallet.