This is pretty much it.
If the consumer is not paying for it in some ways (for example in the UK, consumers can pay Which?[1] to access their reviews) - the companies are.
If the companies are the ones footing the bill, I see no way to have a fair system where a few richer players couldn't exploit the system or the review company itself charge companies as much as they can just for leaving them alone and not rigging the reviews against them.
If the companies are the ones footing the bill, I see no way to have a fair system where a few richer players couldn't exploit the system or the review company itself charge companies as much as they can just for leaving them alone and not rigging the reviews against them.
[1] https://join.which.co.uk/join/offers