Instagram’s Threads app started testing ads for its users earlier this year, and the social platform is already ramping up its monetization efforts. At the IAB NewFronts conference, Meta announced that it will start testing video ads on Threads. The company did not specify the size or scope of this preliminary test, but said that a “small number” of advertisers will test 19:9 or 1:1 video ads placed between typical posts in users’ feeds.
At the NewFronts event, where social media companies can introduce themselves to advertisers, Meta also announced that it is testing a new ad option centered on Instagram Reels. It is developing trending Reels ads that will be displayed next to the most popular videos on the service.
Essentially, Meta is following the same trajectory with its Instagram networks as it did with Facebook: making it less and less enjoyable to communicate with your contacts.
