Meta rolls out ads on Threads globally

Meta has officially started rolling out ads on Threads, opening up the platform to all eligible advertisers worldwide.

The new ad placement called “Threads feed” will be automatically enabled for new campaigns using either 'Advantage+' or' Manual' placements. Marketers can opt out of the placement manually.

Ads on Threads are currently being tested in select markets, with a broader rollout expected as Meta continues to refine the experience. Among the markets in the Asia Pacific region include Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore.

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For now, image ads will appear between posts in the home feed, shown to a limited percentage of users.

Meta said the move allows advertisers to extend existing campaigns across its family of apps without the need for bespoke creatives or extra resourcing. Ads can be activated via a simple checkbox in Ads Manager.

“People come to Meta for a personalised experience that helps them discover businesses and content they love,” the company said. “Ads are an essential part of enabling this.”

Meta also stressed that brand safety controls will be in place. Its inventory filter, already available on Facebook and Instagram, will now be tested on Threads. The tool uses AI to let advertisers choose the sensitivity level of organic content their ads appear next to.

Monetisation policies, which prevent ad placements next to content that violates Meta’s community standards, will now apply to Threads as well. Third-party verification solutions and expanded language support are expected in the coming months.

The launch comes as Meta looks to grow Threads’ user base and monetise the app, which launched in July 2023 and has been slowly integrating with Instagram and other Meta services.

Meta first trialed ads on Threads in January this year, partnering with a select group of brands in the US and Japan. 

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Meta's Instagram is now using artificial intelligence to identify teens who lie about their age in a bid to bypass protections built into its 'teen accounts' feature.

The Meta-owned platform said the AI will proactively flag accounts that appear to belong to teens, even if they claim to be older. Those accounts will then be placed into teen account settings.

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