Instagram ads can be very difficult to ignore. whom TechCrunch Meta is testing a new type of non-transmittable ad on the Instagram feed, which the company calls an “ad break.”
With the new ads already detected by some users, you can’t skip past the banner ad until the “ad break” is over. According to the screenshots shared and , it looks like the “breaks” are a few seconds long, but it’s unclear if the length could change if the Meta decides to make the new format official. “Ad breaks are the new way to see ads on Instagram,” reads an in-app message. “Sometimes you may need to view an ad before continuing.”
holy moly! Meta seems to be forcing us to watch ads in our Instagram feeds now!
The app legitimately stopped me from going past this ad, and that’s just a very bad move on my part. pic.twitter.com/740EXjGyl2
— Dan Levy ✡ Daniel Levy (@TheDanLevy) June 1, 2024
While non-skippable video ads are common on other platforms like YouTube, this is a new and more aggressive format for Instagram. Also notable is that the company is experimenting with ads in its main feed, rather than in Reels or Stories, where video ads are more common (but still skippable).
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the company confirmed TechCrunchh. it was testing a new ad format. “As we test and learn, we will provide updates if there are any official product changes as a result of this testing,” a Meta spokesperson said.
