So they realised the loss of business from bad PR was more than they could make off the data then...
Avast are quite a strong player in the small business space for AV software and they're a lot more susceptible to bad press than large enterprises are. I reckon they just did some sums based on the complaints they were getting and the spread of the story before working out this was the way to make the most money!
Biting the hand that feeds IT
