Instagram Tests Unskippable Ad Breaks, Evaluating Impacts on User Experience and Advertiser Value

Instagram Acknowledges Unskippable Adverts Trial, Aims to Enhance Advertiser Value: Insights

Instagram has officially acknowledged experimenting with unskippable advertisements on its service, following multiple user reports of encountering such ads. A previous Reddit submission drew attention to these unavoidable, five-second adverts, referred to as "ad breaks", which presented a challenge for users attempting to bypass them.

According to new details, a representative from Meta has mentioned the company's exploration of innovative approaches to benefit advertisers. Yet, no definitive word exists on whether this experiment will expand throughout the service. It's important to note that adverts have been a staple on the Meta-owned platform for quite some time, albeit with the option for users to scroll beyond them.

Experiments with Ad Breaks on Instagram

A TechCrunch report has revealed Instagram's experimentation with these specific ads. A spokesperson for the company told the news outlet, "We're continually exploring format options that could potentially enrich advertiser outcomes." The statement clarified that the experiment's purpose is to evaluate its performance and gauge user reactions, promising updates should there be plans for a broader rollout.

Following the Reddit revelation, numerous additional users have reported encountering these ads. Another social media figure, @TheDanLevy from X (previously Twitter), shed light on these adverts, critiquing them as an extreme strategy. According to his post, these ads, tagged as 'ad breaks', feature an information icon that leads to a notice, "You're seeing an ad break."

This notice explained that "Ad breaks represent a novel way to experience adverts on Instagram, sometimes necessitating viewing an ad to proceed." These ad breaks seem to span just five seconds, though there are accounts of ads extending up to ten seconds.

The community's response to these mandatory ads has largely been unfavorable, with numerous complaints about it disrupting the app usage experience. A solution for some has been to exit and restart the app as a temporary workaround to dodge the ads. A Reddit user expressed concerns, pondering whether the platform realizes this could drive users away.