The ads are never going away. We tried the 'pay your way' system with things like netflix and prime video, and guess what's on the way? Now you get to pay for it AND see ads.
The point from the OP there is less who gets paid but that not running ads leaves money on the table so money oriented people will eventually notice that and run ads as well as collect money directly.
Though I’d say this is more of an issue for the Netflixes of the world that have to please investors.