Oh hey, I was wondering about this on HN just a couple weeks ago:
Ask HN: Why don't social media apps allow users to pay to remove ads?
Ask HN: Why don't social media apps allow users to pay to remove ads?
I was once a member of a forum that ran on ads. Users asked and begged for an ad-free version for years. Finally, the owner added it.
But everyone revolted: the cost to go ad-free (something loke $15 per year) was way too high!
But it turns out that was far below what advertisers would pay. By his estimate, he was losing money every time someone bought the allegedly too-expensive ad free version.
I think the short answer is that consumers are cheap.