WhatsApp could introduce ads in Status and Channels: Report

SAN FRANCISCO: Meta-owned WhatsApp head Will Cathcart has reportedly said that the popular messaging platform could show ads in Status, the platform’s Stories-like feature, and channels but not in the main inbox.

In an interview with Brazilian media, WhatsApp’s head Will Cathcart said the company is not planning to put any ads in your main chat but can show ads in other places, reports TechCrunch.

“There could be ads in other places -- channels or status. For example, channels might charge people to subscribe, they might be exclusive to paid members or the owners might want to promote the channel. But, no, we won’t put ads in your inbox,” Cathcart told Brazilian media.

A Meta spokesperson said the company is not “currently testing Status ads in any country”.

In September, Meta refuted a report which claimed that the Mark Zuckerberg-run company is planning to put ads in WhatsApp, which has over 2 billion users globally, including more than 500 million in India alone.

Reacting to a Financial Times report which claimed that Meta teams were exploring ads in WhatsApp as the social network “seeks revenue boost", Cathcart had said that the report is false.

WhatsApp had explored putting ads in Status earlier but never rolled it out.

Earlier reports have claimed that WhatsApp may finally bring advertisements to its platform to monetise it better.

Facebook Founder Zuckerberg acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014. Unlike Instagram, which Facebook bought in 2012 for roughly $1 billion, WhatsApp doesn’t show ads.

WhatsApp Business has surpassed 200 million monthly active users globally, up from 50 million in 2020.

Soon, businesses will be able to publish ads directly to Facebook or Instagram from the app and there will be no requirement of a Facebook account, according to Zuckerberg.

WhatsApp Channels are a one-way broadcast tool and deliver a private way to receive updates from people and organisations that matter to users, within the app.