Trinity Mirror is reportedly exploring ways of banning its website readers from using ad-blocking software on iPhones and iPads.
The move, by the biggest publisher of regional newspapers, and their websites, in the UK, was confirmed to The Times by sources at the company.
Mirror.co.uk is the third most popular national newspaper website in the UK, attracting more than 6m unique browsers per day, according to ABC.
The Washington Post in the US requires readers to disable ad-blocking software before they can access its news articles.
One newspaper executive quoted in The Times said: "Forget the arrival of Buzzfeed, this is potentially the biggest threat to our industry."
Most major UK newspaper websites are funded by advertising. The Telegraph derives some income from a metered paywall (it charges readers to view more than 20 articles per month). The FT website has the strongest subscription business with more than 500,000 paid subscribers.
The other alternative to paid-for advertising is sponsored editorial content, the strategy pursued by Buzzfeed.
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