Could ad-free Facebook and Instagram be on the horizon?

Luke Meredith

Since first introducing advertisements to the platform in 2007, Facebook has earned hundreds of billions of dollars in advertising revenue. In that time, ads have been an ever-present part of the user experience on Facebook, much as they have been on Meta’s second biggest social network, Instagram.

Now, however, Meta may be considering introducing ad-free versions of these platforms for the first time ever – at least in Europe.

In May 2023, the European Union banned Meta from collecting the data of users across its apps, amid heavy scrutiny from regulators, and the company was handed a whopping $1.3bn fine for the mishandling of EU users’ data. Meta’s new text-based social media app, Threads, has not yet been released in EU countries as a result of these regulatory concerns.

It is now being suggested that an ad-free subscription option for users would help to ease some of these concerns in Europe. If this was to be introduced, there may be a chance of a similar option being introduced worldwide, including in the UK and North America, Meta’s most profitable source of ad revenue.

Considering Meta’s reliance on ad revenue and the primarily legal factors behind this potential introduction, ad-free Facebook and Instagram is unlikely to come cheap. However, if you’re sick of seeing irrelevant ads for useless products all over your feed, there’s a chance this subscription will be for you.

Of course, here at Engage Web, all the Facebook Ads we create for our valued clients are of the highest possible quality. If you’re interested in accessing Meta’s extremely valuable ad market, speak to our Facebook Ads professionals today to get started.

About
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Luke Meredith

Content Editor at Engage Web

At home in both the digital sector and the world of communications, Luke thrives on deadlines and has held roles in healthcare, retail and digital marketing, gaining a sound knowledge of a wide range of sectors. He’s a massive swot as well, holding a first-class degree in BA Communication and Media, and now uses his writing skills and keen editorial eye in his role as Content Editor here. Luke helps to oversee our clients’ content requirements, while also looking after a pool of freelance writers across three continents.