Along these lines, why doesn't google introduce a paid search service without ads? My hunch is that no matter the price point, it would be a huge revenue hit compared to actual advertising payments.
My other hunch is that it would make the non ad-free experience greatly cheapened in the eyes of the consumer, in the same way youtube with ads feels different after experiencing youtube premium.
Because if you allow a paid option, all the people worth advertising to switch to that, and now the advertising portion of the business is worth a lot less.
They’re betting they can get more out of advertisers than paying subscribers.
My other hunch is that it would make the non ad-free experience greatly cheapened in the eyes of the consumer, in the same way youtube with ads feels different after experiencing youtube premium.