Instagram is testing unskippable ads

Instagram is testing a new type of ad format called 'ad breaks,' which are ads that appear while you scroll, and you can't see the next post until you finish watching it.

Instagram confirms test of 'unskippable' ads | TechCrunch

Users who encountered the ad break during the test said they were scrolling through Instagram's feed when suddenly, they were greeted with an unskippable video ad that displayed a timer and prevented them from viewing any other content until the time had elapsed.

Holy moly! Meta seemingly is now forcing us to watch ads in our feeds on Instagram!

The app stopped me from scrolling past this ad which is just a bonkers move to me.

pic.twitter.com/740EXjGyl2

— Dan Levy ✡ Hey There (@TheDanLevy) June 1, 2024

According to information posted on Reddit, if you click on the information icon next to 'Ad break' to check the details, it says 'You're currently viewing an ad break. Ad break is a new type of ad on Instagram. You may need to watch an ad before continuing.'

According to TechCrunch, a Meta spokesperson said, 'We're always testing formats that could be valuable to advertisers, and we'll provide an update if this testing leads to official product changes,' but declined to say where in the app the ads would appear or whether the company was testing the feature globally.

On June 3, 2024, Meta is launching a new advertising project called the 'IG Boost Signals Project,' a feature for advertisers to efficiently determine whether their media is eligible to be boosted as an advertisement.

TechCrunch points out that 'considering that Instagram has focused on video sharing as well as still images, an ad route like Ad Break makes sense.' However, it also points out that users have naturally expressed negative opinions.