Major Publishers Untroubled by Ad Blocking

By: Jack Marshall | Digiday

According to ad-blocking data provider PageFair, more users are now making use of browser plugins such as Adblock Plus to remove ads from the sites they visit. A recent report it published claimed the trend “is threatening the business model of online publishers” and “up to 30 percent of Web visitors are blocking ads.”

But despite a few scary headlines, major publishers say their data just doesn’t support that view. Ad blocking is an issue worth monitoring, they say, but it remains far from a priority. It currently costs them relatively little in lost ad revenues and, ultimately, poses little threat to their businesses, they say.