instagram is testing “ad breaks” that force you to stop and watch an ad for a period of time before you can continue scrolling. Several x.com/TheDanLevy/status/1796903470210892101″>x and instagram/comments/1d52psw/ad_break_ie_unskippable_ads_now_on_instagram/”>reddit
instagram/comments/1d5r0lq/new_garbage_feature_is_being_tested/#lightbox”>an editor I spotted the feature when scrolling through stories and posts. After a certain amount of scrolling, instagram stopped them from going any further until they looked at an ad. As shown in the screenshot, instagram displays an “ad break” icon with a countdown timer showing how much time is left before you can start scrolling again.
When the user tapped the icon to learn more about the feature, instagram displayed a message that read: “Ad breaks are a new way to view ads on instagram. Sometimes you may need to see an ad before you can continue browsing.”
instagram already shows sponsored posts and ads among the content you scroll through, whether it's your home feed or Reels. But including non-skippable content between posts takes this to another level and seems quite disruptive. “We're always testing formats that can create value for advertisers,” says Tye.
In addition to instagram, YouTube also shows unskippable ads before and during videos. It even expanded 30-second non-skippable commercials to its TV app last year. Both YouTube and TikTok also place ads between their short-form videos, but you can still skip through them.
