Meta is reportedly planning to launch Threads in the EU before the end of the year.
The news comes after X’s biggest advertisers – including Disney, Paramount and Sony Pictures –boycotted the Elon Musk-owned platform following his endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory
Why we care. Although Threads isn’t serving ads just yet, brands can still grow their audiences on the platform through influencer partnerships. It’s worth noting that ads on Threads are inevitable and will likely be a significant contributor to the app’s overall revenue when they do launch.
EU regulation difficulties. Threads was not rolled out to EU countries upon its global launch in July because of the nation’s strict privacy regulations. But Meta has now modified its product, so that users can use the app without needing to create a profile to explore the platform. A profile will only be necessary if the user wishes to publish posts, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, also recently confirmed that Threads users could now delete their profiles without having to also delete their associated Instagram accounts.
Active subscribers. Marck Zuckerberg, Meta’s Cheif Executive, confirmed in October that Threads now has just shy of 200 million monthly active users. He predicts that figure could rise to one billion within the next few years. By rolling out to EU countries, Threads could see up to 40 million extra monthly active users, according to independent tech analyst, Aho Williamson.
Deep dive. Read our Threads FAQ guide for more information on how the platform works.