Roi Carthy, Shine’s chief marketing officer told El Reg: “Any rational person can agree that we should not be subsidising Google, Facebook and so on.” He calls the presence of ads on mobes “pollution” and that his company believes that “The right to block ads is a consumer right”.
I don't get it. Sure, we all dislike ads, but we all also dislike paying up-front for stuff if we don't have to. Advertising is a well-established way of funding TV, radio, newspapers and magazines, as well as apps and web sites. What's suddenly so special about ads on mobiles as opposed to other forms? Why should we not be "subsidising" Google and Facebook for using their services?
I can't help thinking that since that since they're pitching their services at the networks, this will ultimately be about who controls the revenue from ads, rather than actually being about reducing the number of ads seen by the consumer. Too cynical?
