IAB UK CEO Guy Phillipson's latest ad blocking comment

IAB’s CEO, Guy Phillipson has commented on the latest news (22 March 2016) that French news sites, Le Monde, L'Equipe and Le Parisien have taken action against ad blockers by showing a message pointing out to people visiting their sites with ad blockers on that the only way they can pay their staff is to have their content supported by ads.


Phillipson said "Ad blocking is rife in France, so this collective action by news publishers is no surprise. Ad blocking is a genuine threat to the free availability of quality online journalism, and we’re seeing more and more UK media owners take similar action. IAB UK/YouGov research shows 64% of ad blocking consumers have seen publisher notices asking them to deactivate their software, and IAB UK encourages media owners to test or adopt this approach. ITV.com and Channel 4oD were amongst the first to deny access to ad blocking consumers, and now City AM, The Telegraph and Mirror Group have followed suit with their own tests.

The good thing is that consumers are increasingly aware of the value exchange, and our YouGov research bears this out, with 54% saying they would deactivate their ad blockers for certain content. This rises to 73% of 18-25 year olds – who are most likely to have an ad blocker installed.

Publishers looking to find out more information on how the IAB can help combat ad blocking should refer to the IAB’s LEAN and DEAL recommendations to ensure the future of the ad funded internet.”

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