Investing.com — Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) announced on Friday that it will begin test launching advertisements on its social media platform Threads. The testing will begin with a select number of brands in the U.S. and Japan. The move comes as Threads sees a surge in popularity, boasting over 300 million monthly active users.
Starting Friday, image ads will be visible in the Threads home feed, inserted between content posts for a small percentage of users, according to a blog post by Meta. The company has stated that it will keep a close watch on the test before expanding it more broadly. Businesses will have the option to extend their existing Meta ad campaigns to Threads.
In addition to this, Meta will also start testing an inventory filter for ads on Threads. Enabled through AI, this feature will allow advertisers to manage the sensitivity level of the organic content next to which their ads are displayed.
Earlier this month, Meta discontinued its U.S. fact-checking program on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. These three platforms are among the world’s largest social media networks, collectively serving over 3 billion users worldwide.
Threads was launched in July 2023 as a competitor to X, previously known as Twitter. The platform aimed to attract users from the leading micro-blogging site during its tumultuous takeover by billionaire Elon Musk.
Despite the growing popularity of Threads, Meta’s CFO Susan Li stated in a post-earnings call in October that the company does not anticipate Threads to significantly contribute to the company’s revenue in 2025.
On the same day, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to invest up to $65 billion this year in expanding the company’s AI infrastructure. This move is part of Meta’s strategy to strengthen its position against competitors like OpenAI and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) in the race to dominate AI technology.
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