The brands exploring new business models to shake up media’s ‘identity crisis’

The Athletic’s ad-free functionality.Trying to a turn a profit in the world of online journalism is tough. As Google and Facebook’s stranglehold over advertising dollars continues to strengthen, media sites debate whether to stick with an ad-supported model, opt for sponsored content, introduce a paywall and rely on subscriptions or gain support via donations.
A new crop of sites believe they have found the answer with ad-free, clickbait-proof premium journalism they are convinced re