Meta Platforms announced on Friday that it will begin testing advertisements on its social media platform Threads, collaborating with select brands in the United States and Japan. This move comes as the app surpasses 300 million monthly active users.
Starting today, image ads will be integrated into the Threads home feed, appearing among user posts for a limited group of participants, according to a blog post from the company.
The tech giant indicated that it will closely monitor the initial testing phase before expanding the advertisement rollout. Businesses will also have the opportunity to extend their existing advertising campaigns on Meta’s other platforms to Threads.
Furthermore, Meta is set to trial an inventory filtering feature for ads within Threads. This functionality, powered by artificial intelligence, will enable advertisers to manage the sensitivity of the content adjacent to their advertisements.
“The introduction of ads on Threads shortly after Meta’s content moderation overhaul is likely to catch the attention of advertisers. However, the ongoing instability at TikTok is prompting brands to explore other options, and Meta is seizing this chance to integrate Threads into the advertising landscape,” remarked Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at eMarketer.
Earlier this month, Meta discontinued its U.S. fact-checking initiative on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, which collectively serve over 3 billion users worldwide.
Launched in July 2023, Threads aims to compete with X, formerly known as Twitter, in an effort to attract users away from the increasingly tumultuous micro-blogging service following its takeover by billionaire Elon Musk.
According to CFO Susan Li, Meta does not project Threads to be a significant revenue contributor in 2025, as noted during an earnings call in October.
On Friday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated the company plans to invest up to $65 billion this year to enhance its AI infrastructure, strengthening its position against competitors like OpenAI and Google in the technology sector.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
