* advertising is profitable for advertisers — they buy ad slots because it brings revenue
* advertising is profitable for publishers — some of the biggest companies in the world (Google, Meta) make most of their revenue from ads
* most people are reluctant to spend money, but they're ok to "spend" their attention and their data
There were multiple attempts with micro-payments and nothing has worked so far. Monthly subscription is preferred by customers and companies, but there are only so many outlets that anyone will subscribe to.