Schibsted is introducing “Schibsted Ad Choices” – a solution that gives users a choice between consenting to the use of data for personalised advertising or paying a small fee as an alternative.
The background is that the regulatory framework governing the use of data online is now being interpreted more strictly, particularly with regard to how consent must be obtained. This has direct consequences for the advertising revenues that fund journalism, as digital advertising is data-driven.
Schibsted estimates that stricter requirements related to consent collection could result in an annual revenue decline in the range of NOK 400–500 million across the group’s brands in Norway and Sweden.
“This is not a step we take because we want to, but because we have to. When the conditions for advertising-funded journalism change, we must adapt in order to maintain a sustainable model for independent journalism,” says Øyulf Hjertenes, EVP Norway at Schibsted.
A path Schibsted wants to avoid
With this move, Schibsted follows several major European publishers that have introduced or announced similar solutions in recent years, including Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Bild, Le Monde, El País, The Guardian and Daily Mail.
For Schibsted, the balance between advertising revenue and subscription revenue is crucial if the group’s media outlets are to fulfil the core of their societal mission: holding those in power to account, combating disinformation, and contributing to a shared factual foundation that reduces polarisation and strengthens democracy.
“If this balance is disrupted – and already pressured advertising revenues are further weakened – the consequence may be less open content, more content behind paywalls, or reduced investment in journalism. That is a path we do not want to take, and that is why we need to act. Free news is not free to produce,” Hjertenes says.
A clearer choice and a better user experience
With Schibsted Ad Choices, both subscribers and non-subscribers are offered two alternatives. One option is to allow user data to be used for personalised advertising. Users who do not wish such data collection and use can instead choose to pay a small monthly amount. Regardless of the choice, the editorial content and services offered remain the same.
“Users are free to choose. But when users choose to share data, it also enables a better user experience. When advertising is tailored to individual interests and behaviour, ads become more relevant and are perceived as less intrusive,” Hjertenes says, emphasising that the payment option is not about buying an ad-free subscription.
He also underlines that Schibsted Ad Choice does not change Schibsted’s limited and transparent approach to data use, which includes clear restrictions on how data can be used and shared, and where financing independent journalism remains the overarching purpose.
Schibsted Ad Choice will initially be introduced across most of Schibsted’s web-based services during spring 2026. The payment option will have a low price point, and will be somewhat lower for subscribers than for other users.
