Meta will begin rolling out ads on Threads to all users globally from next week, extending the monetisation of the text-based social platform launched on July 5, 2023.

The move builds on an initial pilot programme that began in the US and Japan in January 2025. Meta expanded advertising on Threads to more than 30 countries in April, including several Asia-Pacific markets such as Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, before moving to a full global rollout.

“This was inevitable. Meta doesn’t take a product to a global scale without a clear monetisation pathway,” said Ori Gold, chief executive officer of Bench Media. “The real issue isn’t the introduction of ads, but the discipline around how they’re integrated. Threads is fundamentally a conversational and contextual environment, and that’s where its current value sits.”

Threads has grown to more than 400 million monthly active users and is one of Meta’s fastest-scaling products and a potentially significant new source of reach for advertisers seeking text-led engagement.

Advertisers will be able to add Threads placements to Advantage+ and manual campaigns through Ads Manager, using formats including image, video and carousel units. Ads will be delivered using Meta’s existing AI-powered targeting and optimisation systems, similar to those used across Facebook and Instagram.

(Photo credit: Meta / press release) 

Data from We Are Social and Meltwater from October 2025 shows that globally, India has the biggest advertising audience reach for Threads, around 26 million, with Japan and Indonesia also in the top five. Meanwhile, the use is most popular among men aged 16-24. Among adults age 18+, globally, Threads’ ad reach is the biggest in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

While some Asia-Pacific marketers say Threads is still better suited to discovery and engagement than performance, others see an early opportunity as ad inventory scales. 

“Right now, it works best as a discovery and brand engagement environment rather than a pure performance driver,” Gold adds. “Instagram and Facebook continue to deliver the scale, efficiency, and measurable outcomes. We’re taking a wait-and-see approach until we see more consistency in delivery and user behaviour.”

Marc Langenfeld, head of media at VaynerMedia APAC, sees greater potential. “Threads’ global launch of ads creates a massive opportunity for underpriced attention,” he says. “We’re looking at a classic real-time bidding arbitrage where savvy brands can capture outsized performance and cultural relevance at a massive discount before the rest of the market.”

At VaynerMedia, “Threads performance is on par with other Meta properties like Facebook and Instagram,” Langenfeld adds, with tests funded from existing Meta budgets rather than shifts from other channels. 

Meta has also streamlined business tools to support adoption, allowing Threads to be managed alongside Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and adding features such as carousel ads and support for Advantage+ catalogue and app campaigns.

This story first appeared on Campaign Asia-Pacific.