Instagram Threads has announced the testing of “video ads,” which will make the app look more like its competitor X (formerly Twitter).
Meta revealed that the feature is an expansion of Threads’ advertising initiatives, which began last month with the opening up of ads to global advertisers.
To note, the news was announced at Meta’s presentation at the IAB NewFronts, where several social media companies pitch themselves to advertisers.
In a blog post, The American-based tech giant stated that a “small number” of advertisers will test 19:9 or 1:1 video ad creatives that will appear in between pieces of organic content in the Threads feed.
However, Meta didn’t share other details about pricing or frequency of those ads.
Speaking to investors on Meta’s earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that the app has seen a 35% increase in the time spent on Threads as a result of advancements to the app’s recommendation systems.
On the other hand, the company is also testing a new short-form video solution, Reels trending ads, that will be shown next to the most trending Reels from creators.
Meta will also begin to test Trends in Instagram’s Creator Marketplace to help advertisers find popular trends, and it will test the Creator Marketplace API to help businesses find and connect with quality creators at scale.
It is worth noting that Threads is also rolling out Video Expansion on Facebook Reels, which adjusts video assets by generating unseen pixels in each video frame to expand the aspect ratio for a more native experience.
