As the “Pay or Consent” model continues to spread across Europe—forcing users to choose between handing over their data or paying for access—publishers find themselves increasingly lumped in with social media giants. But let’s be clear: their business models, user relationships, and engagement strategies couldn’t be more different.
In this Op Ed, Romain Bessuges-Meusy calls for smarter, fairer regulation—one that doesn’t treat all digital content providers as interchangeable. He’s joined by Antoine Martinez, Head of Product at Axeptio, who offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the company is reinventing the Pay or Consent experience, with a major live test underway at French media group Sogemedia.
Why Publishers Deserve Their Own Playbook
On paper, giving users a choice between paying for content or accepting cookies seems like a fair trade. But in reality, the impact of that choice varies wildly depending on who’s asking for it.
Social networks thrive on FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), constant notifications, and peer-driven engagement loops that generate billions of daily ad impressions. Their revenue depends on capturing attention within closed ecosystems—where users are logged in 24/7, and saying “no” to tracking often means being shut out of your digital social life. Is that really a free choice?
Publishers, meanwhile, are playing a different game. They compete on content quality, journalistic credibility, and long-term reader trust.
“When someone rejects advertising cookies on a news site, it doesn’t trigger social isolation or dopamine withdrawal. They either read or they don’t, just like passing a newspaper stand and choosing whether to pick up a copy.” — Romain Bessuges-Meusy
Let’s not forget: under Article 7(4) of the GDPR, consent must be freely given—particularly when access to a service hinges on that consent. The regulation explicitly warns against conditioning a service on the processing of personal data unless that data is essential for the contract itself.
“Applying the same consent standards to social platforms and digital publishers is a category error. It conflates access to quality journalism with access to algorithm-driven chatter. Worse, it risks choking already fragile publishing models in the name of regulatory symmetry. What we need is regulation that respects the unique mission—and the economic reality—of journalism.” — Romain Bessuges-Meusy
Axeptio’s Take: Building a Consent Wall That’s Clear, Fair, and User-First
At Axeptio, we believe most Pay or Consent interfaces fall short—drowning users in dense legalese and cloaking coercion in a veneer of transparency. That’s precisely what our product team set out to change. As Antoine Martinez, Head of Product, puts it:
“Our ambition was to create the most transparent pay-or-consent model on the market, with an interface that could be understood by regular people, not just lawyers. And all of this with publishers’ performance rates front-of-mind.” — Antoine Martinez, Head of Product
In other words, our new consent wall combines legal rigor with UX clarity and full compliance with the IAB’s Transparency & Consent Framework. The interface is clean, customizable, and user-friendly. It offers three clear options: subscribe, log in, or accept cookies to access content. The visual design is stripped of distractions and intentionally avoids information overload.
“We want users to understand the trade-off. What they’re getting for free in exchange for their data. What they’re supporting when they choose to pay. No tricks, no traps.” — Antoine Martinez, Head of Product
Over the past few weeks, local media outlets in the Sogemedia group have become early adopters of this new model—one we believe is fairer, more transparent, and more sustainable.
“Each publisher can activate this new wall, which we've designed as a lever, to maximise data collection within an ethical, transparent and reader-friendly framework. Freely given consent and chosen subscriptions are two concrete proofs of support for a medium. When presented properly, these choices are the driving force behind the sustainability of publishers' monetisation models.” — Romain Bessuges-Meusy
So, see you in a few weeks to find out more about this new feature!
To be continued!
Are you a publisher?
Discover our CMP, Axeptio for Publishers, compliant with TCF v2.2 from IAB Europe and IAB Canada.
