The problem many sites have is that people often dont really care if they see the content or not. I wont sit through an ad longer than 15 seconds for any site (only because it takes a while to navigate, and if the ad is done...I am ok, nor will i disable my ad blocker, nor will i pay to read a single article. I just move on. I suspect most people do the same.
“Online add-supported” business models are free to keep trying. But most folks simply dont care enough to let their time be wasted.
I always move the article to Archive.ph and then read it for free.