Meta Platforms has officially opened its social media app Threads to advertisers across the globe, a major move that signals the company’s ambitions to further expand its digital advertising dominance.
This rollout gives all eligible advertisers access to run campaigns on Threads, Meta’s rapidly growing text-based platform launched as a rival to Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter).
According to a Reuters report, the global expansion follows initial ad testing that began earlier this year in select markets such as the United States and Japan. With over 320 million monthly active users now engaging on Threads, Meta is looking to capitalise on this traction by offering advertisers a new space to reach a highly active user base in real time.
The advertisements will appear within users’ feeds, marked clearly with a grey “Sponsored” label adjacent to the account name. Advertisers will also gain access to Meta’s inventory filter tool, allowing them to manage brand safety settings and control the kind of content their ads appear alongside. This capability is designed to address one of the most critical concerns of digital marketers—ad placement in a brand-safe environment.
Launched in July 2023, Threads emerged as Meta’s bold answer to X’s shifting content strategy and monetisation model under Musk. Since then, Threads has seen consistent user growth, aided by tight integration with Instagram and a minimalist, ad-free interface in its early days. The entry of ads marks a new phase for the app, one where commercial viability will take centre stage without compromising user experience—at least, that’s what Meta is betting on.
Meta has been increasingly leaning into AI infrastructure and ad products to bolster its revenue streams, especially as global macroeconomic pressures and regulatory headwinds continue to evolve. Advertising remains its core business, and the inclusion of Threads into the company’s broader monetisation plan comes ahead of Meta’s Q1 earnings announcement slated for April 30.
This global advertising push is being closely watched by both marketers and investors. With its user base rapidly climbing and tools in place for brand safety, Threads might just be poised to become a new powerhouse in Meta’s social media ecosystem.