Scroll (web service)

Scroll was a subscription web service developed by Scroll Labs Inc. that offered ad-free access to websites in exchange for a fee. Scroll was not an ad blocker, but rather partnered directly with internet publishers who voluntarily took down ads on their sites for Scroll users in exchange for a portion of the subscription fee.

In May 2021, Scroll was acquired by Twitter. In October 2021, Scroll sent out an email announcing integration into Twitter Blue "within 30 days".

Functionality
Scroll enabled users to browse websites partnered with Scroll without the display of online advertisements in exchange for paying a contribution fee. Scroll did not work as an ad blocker, which disables advertisements without compensation to the publisher; instead, it sent a browser cookie indicating that the user is a Scroll subscriber, and Scroll software incorporated into the website detected the cookie and served an ad-free version of the site. In exchange for disabling advertisements, partner websites received a portion of the subscription fee. As of January 2020, Scroll kept 30% of the subscription fee and the rest is distributed among publisher sites. Payments to sites were made individually by users based on their own “engagement and loyalty”, rather than by disbursing money from a single pool of all subscription revenue. Scroll did not give subscribers access to partner sites that have a paywall, it only removed ads from the site if the user also paid the publication's subscription fee.

History
Scroll was founded in 2016 by former Chartbeat Chief Executive Tony Haile. 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. By October 2018, Scroll had raised US$10 million in funding. 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. In February 2019, Scroll acquired the social media curation app Nuzzel. The same month, Mozilla and Scroll announced a partnership to run a "test pilot" together, but did not go into details. Scroll entered beta testing in 2019 and launched to the general public on January 28, 2020.

In March 2020, Mozilla began offering Scroll as part of its "Firefox Better Web" service bundle.

In May 2021, Scroll was acquired by Twitter, with the future of Scroll cited as being uncertain. 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".