On Wikia-powered sites, when you click on a external link, you're greeted with:
You are leaving ...
Your browser will redirect you to the page you requested in a few seconds. Want to go back?
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| ADVERTISEMENT |
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Skip this Ad
This seems like bad user experience to me. Every link is hijacked by a full-page advertisement and the user is forced to scroll and click to actually get to their destination.
The only pro I can see for a "navigating away" type of interface like this is on a school, government or advice website. For example, on medical websites, advertisements may blend into the background, where it is not clear whether you are still reading vetted information or something that's promotional. But in the case of wikia, clicking on external links is basically bound to happen.
Are there any pros to this type of practice?