Scroll (web service)

Scroll was a subscription-based web service developed by Scroll Labs Inc., offering ad-free access to websites in exchange for a fee.^[1] Scroll was not an ad blocker; instead, it partnered directly with internet publishers who voluntarily removed ads from their sites for Scroll users in exchange for a portion of the subscription fee.^[2]

Scroll
Original author(s)	Tony Haile
Developer(s)	Scroll Labs Inc. (Twitter, Inc.)
Initial release	January 28, 2020; 5 years ago (January 28, 2020)
Platform	Web browser, Mobile app
Type	Ad-free internet browsing
License	Subscription service
Website	scroll.com

In May 2021, Scroll was acquired by Twitter.^[3] In October 2021, Scroll sent out an email announcing its integration into Twitter Blue within 30 days.^[4]

Functionality

Scroll enabled users to browse websites that partnered with Scroll without encountering online advertising, in exchange for a subscription fee. Unlike ad blocker, which disable advertisements without compensating the publisher, Scroll sent a browser cookie indicating that the user was a subscriber. The Scroll software integrated into the website detected this cookie and served an ad-free version of the site.^[5][6][7] In exchange for disabling advertisements, partner websites received a portion of the subscription fee. As of January 2020, Scroll retained 30% of the subscription fee, with the remaining 70% distributed among publisher sites.^[8] Payments to sites were made individually by users based on their 'engagement and loyalty,' rather than from a single pool of all subscription revenue.^[9] Scroll did not grant subscribers access to partner sites behind a paywall; it only removed ads from the site if the user also paid the publication's subscription fee.^[10]

History

Scroll was founded in 2016 by former Chartbeat Chief Executive Tony Haile.^[10] Scroll raised US$3 million in its first round of funding in 2016, including investments from The New York Times, Uncork Capital, and Axel Springer SE.^[6] By October 2018, Scroll had raised US$10 million in funding.^[6] In 2018, Scroll signed its first partner websites, which included The Atlantic, Fusion Media Group, Business Insider, Slate, MSNBC, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Talking Points Memo.^[11][10] In February 2019, Scroll acquired the social media curation app Nuzzel.^[12][13] The same month, Mozilla and Scroll announced a partnership to run a "test pilot" together, but did not go into details.^[14] Scroll entered beta testing in 2019 and launched to the general public on January 28, 2020.^[8]

In March 2020, Mozilla started offering Scroll as part of its "Firefox Better Web" service bundle.^[12][15]

In May 2021, Scroll was acquired by Twitter, with the future of Scroll cited as being uncertain.^[3] An email to customers announcing the change said, "Later this year, Scroll will become part of a wider Twitter subscription that will expand on and adapt our services and functionality".