Scroll, a start-up owned by Gannett, the New York Times and Samsung, launched its ad-free news service on Tuesday.
Co-founded by Tony Haile, Scroll costs $4.99 per month after an introductory rate of $2.49 per month for the first six months. Currently, the news service works with more than 300 sites, with plans for adding more.
Scroll functions by eliminating ads for viewers when reading news. When a subscriber will log into Scroll, they will not see any ads when they visit participating websites on any browser on their phone, tablet or computer.
Looking at the cost structure, Scroll keeps 30% of the subscription fee and distributes the other 70% to the participating sites.
“Your money is only distributed to the sites you go to and love,” Haile said.
USA Today, BuzzFeed, Vox, The Atlantic, Business Insider, Slate and The Verge are initial partners of the new venture.
“It’s a future where users don’t get pissed off and journalists don’t get laid off,” Haile added. “That’s the dream.”
