Google offers subscriptions for ad-free viewing of sites

Google has announced Contributor, a service that allows internet users to purchase paid subscriptions to websites for ad-free viewing. Users can pay 1, 2 or 3 dollars per month in the test phase.

Ten publications are participating in the Contributor beta, including Imgur, Wikihow, The Onion, ScienceDaily, Urban Dictionary and Mashable. According to Google, ‘a part’ of the contribution of 1.2 or 3 dollars per month goes to the makers of the sites, but it is not clear what percentage. Instead of advertisements, internet users who pay see a thank you note at the place of the advertisement.

Participating in the test is currently on an invitation-only basis and Google emphasizes that it is an experiment, so the monthly amounts could change, should it ever become an actual service. With Contributor, Google is responding to the increasing use of Adblocker, the declining revenue from advertising for sites and the rise of crowdfunding with micropayments.