Mainosrahoitteisesti

Mainosrahoitteisesti is a Finnish term meaning funded by advertising. It describes a business model where content, services or platforms are made available to users free of direct charges, with revenue primarily derived from advertising. This model contrasts with subscription-based or pay-per-view models. In practice, ad-funded media include free-to-air television, radio, online news sites, video streaming services with ads, and apps that display banners or video ads.

Types in ad-supported models include display advertising on websites; sponsorship; product placements; native advertising; programmatic advertising; and ad-supported streaming with pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll ads.

Advantages of ad-financed models include lowering barriers for consumers and enabling broad access, creating scale for advertisers, cross-subsidizing free content, and supporting free journalism in some contexts. Disadvantages include revenue volatility tied to ad markets, potential conflicts of interest or editorial independence concerns, data privacy and tracking issues, the impact of ads on user experience through ad load, the risk of sensational or clickbait content to maximize impressions, and the development of paywalls for high-value content in some cases.

Regulation and ethics considerations involve advertising standards, transparency around sponsored content, disclosure of data collection practices, and competition concerns for ad tech players.

Examples and trends: in Finland, many online news portals and video services operate with ads alongside optional subscriptions; internationally, ad-supported free-to-air networks and streaming services with free tiers illustrate the model. Current trends include growth of programmatic advertising, tighter cookie regulations, and a shift toward hybrid models that combine free access with subscriptions or microtransactions, alongside ongoing debates about the sustainability of ad-funded journalism.