Tech Spotlight is an interview series in which we find out more about new technologies and platforms making an impact in the digital media and marketing sector. Today, NDA Editor-in-Chief Justin Pearse sits down with Dirk Freytag, Founder & MD, Content Pass.
What is Content Pass and how did the idea come about?
Content Pass is a solution that offers consumers a choice: either consent to tracking and advertising, or pay a small fee to browse ad- and tracking-free. The aim is to help publishers comply with GDPR regulations, while also giving consumers a clear and fair option.
I’ve been in the industry for over 25 years, previously CEO at ATTE, which we sold to AOL, where I became SVP. I’m also the President of BVDW, Germany’s equivalent of the IAB.
We started Content Pass six and a half years ago with the goal of offering a model that supports premium content in a sustainable, privacy-compliant way.
How does the model work for consumers?
It’s simple. A consumer can either accept tracking and advertising, or pay €3.99 a month to access a growing network of participating websites without any ads or tracking.
Think of it like a Spotify model, but for journalism. One subscription gets you access to all partner sites. In Europe, we now have about 600 sites in the network, and users can browse ad-free across them all.
How do you ensure compliance and fairness in the model?
From a regulatory standpoint, we combine both no ads and no tracking, as we found that users don’t believe ads can be delivered without tracking. We’ve received guidance from the UK’s ICO, which we’re grateful for.
In fact, they now accept our model as a valid “deny all” option on consent banners. This is important because publishers without a proper deny option risk losing both compliance and revenue. With Content Pass, they can do both, follow regulation and earn more. For publishers already using a “deny all” button, switching to our model has seen ad revenues increase by around 20%.
What kind of uptake are you seeing in the UK and beyond?
We’re expanding quickly in the UK. Around 25 sites are already live, and 30 more are signed. Big names like Foundry, Formula 1, and The Sun (using us as a white-label solution) are on board.
We’re live in 23 countries, with users signed up from 97. The cross-border nature of our platform is a big draw, users only need to sign up once, then they can browse ad-free across all partner sites.
What makes your tech integration appealing to publishers?
Integration is deliberately straightforward. We don’t integrate directly into the site, but instead with CMPs like Sourcepoint, OneTrust, and Usercentrics. This makes it faster to implement, some publishers are live within an hour. Because many publishers fear traffic loss, we offer a one-month contract trial.
In most cases, publishers see more ad revenue on day one. Also, 70% of site traffic, those who already gave full consent, remains unaffected, and Content Pass helps monetise the remaining 30%.
Where is the company based, and what’s your growth ambition?
We’re headquartered in Berlin, bootstrapped, and privately owned. The team is small, 12 people, 10 of them tech, because it’s a tech solution at heart.
Our ambition is to grow the network to over 1,000 sites by 2026. The more sites we onboard, the more seamless and compelling the experience becomes for consumers.
Do consumers actually want this kind of cross-site ad-free model?
Yes, absolutely. More than 80% of our users visit five or more partner sites monthly. They’re actively using Content Pass as a cross-site solution. Interestingly, our most engaged user group is on a mapping service used by lorry drivers, who value faster, ad-free access during work.
We also see a strong segment of privacy-conscious users, while others simply don’t want to use ad blockers but dislike ads.
Are publishers marketing the service actively to their users?
In newer markets like the UK, there’s still some hesitation due to fear of being the first mover. But in countries like Spain, where regulation forced immediate adoption, we saw 150 sites launch a similar model overnight.
Consumers adapted quickly, and revenues increased. In time, as adoption grows, publishers are more likely to promote the network benefit to their users.I
Is there potential for the US market?
Yes. We already have some global brands with US presence using our service. Regulations in certain US states are increasingly mirroring GDPR, which makes our model more viable there. As data privacy continues to tighten globally, we’re positioning ourselves for further expansion, including into the US market.
How does Content Pass affect advertising and ad revenue?
It improves it. Publishers go from having 70% of traffic consented to about 99%, making their audience more valuable to advertisers. And for the remaining 1% who choose to pay, we buy the ad placements from the publishers at market rates, so they’re not losing out. Advertisers actually appreciate the added reach and targeting certainty.
Do you see Content Pass as a brand, or is it more of a white-label solution?
It depends on the market. Some large publishers like The Sun or T-Online in Germany prefer white-labelling at first.
But as the model becomes more widespread, they often drop the branding concerns. In Spain, for example, even major players like Prisa Media use our branding outright. We’re flexible, it’s more about the technology than the label.
And finally, do you have competitors?
Not really. Some publishers build their own models, but we’re the only cross-publisher solution we’re aware of. That network approach gives us, and consumers, a unique advantage. With scale, it becomes more valuable for everyone involved.
