Developers and reverse engineering experts have found references to advertising features in the code of the Threads app, including links to sponsored posts and ad settings. Despite these findings, Instagram, which manages Threads, stated that ad testing is not currently underway, and there are no plans for monetization at this time.
And here is how sponsored posts will appear on #Threads, with a “Sponsored” label next to the username. pic.twitter.com/agI6Ad7h3q
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) August 22, 2024
One researcher, Chris Messina, discovered a JSON file named “bcn_single_image_ad” containing a sample ad block. Another expert, Alessandro Paluzzi, managed to display one of his posts as sponsored, with a corresponding label appearing in Threads.
These discoveries suggest that Threads engineers are exploring advertising technologies, but this doesn’t mean ads will appear soon. Instagram spokesperson Alec Booker confirmed that they are not testing ads in Threads, and no timeline for monetization has been set.
