The other side of the coin is that users are so used to the "free" model (read: ad model) that they refuse to pay for anything directly.
Look at youtube. They show ads and there is a non-stop stream of complaints about how long/bad/annoying they are. They offer a paid subscription to remove all ads and people laugh at the audacity youtube has to ask for money.
Users DO NOT want to see/watch ads. Users DO NOT want to pay a subscription for "free" content.
Just look at the story of Vid.me, a youtube competitor start-up that promised ad-free and sub-free videos. It was a huge hit until it hit bankruptcy.