Not exactly. People don’t click on ads when ads are blocked. But ad aggregation companies get paid in a couple of different ways. Click through is a big one, but ad impressions (eyeballs that supposedly viewed an ad) are also a thing. And impressions pay, just not as well as clickthroughs. Ad companies haven’t stopped paying aggregates for ad space. That’s why ads on paid services have gotten more egregious. It’s not because they aren’t getting paid. It’s because they want both.

For what it’s worth, you can (and some do) pay for subscriptions to websites or services on the internet. But nobody is paying ad aggregation companies with the intent of seeing ads regardless of the reality.