The Washington Post is now blocking article access for readers who use an ad blocker browser plugin.
The paper confirmed to Ad Age that this “short test” will block article access for readers who don't subscribe to the paper while also using an ad blocker. Instead, they will be prompted to purchase a subscription, turn off the ad blocker or subscribe to a newsletter. The paper is experimenting with these responses and testing reactions.
A spokeswoman told Ad Age this test isn't necessarily due to a specific problem; rather, it could help the company learn about audience behavior.
Ad blockers have faced multiple issues in the past few months as companies begin exploring ways in which in force users to turn them off to receive free content. Hulu and CBS's video player won't play videos, and earlier this week, YouTube briefly circumvented ad blockers to show full-length ads.
