Instagram to begin displaying ads

By Salvador Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times


As everyone expected when Facebook bought Instagram in 2012, ads are coming to the popular photo and video social network.


Instagram announced the news Thursday afternoon, saying it will ease into the process of displaying ads by beginning to show them occasionally. Slowly, users will start to see photos and videos from brands that are active on Instagram, regardless of whether users follow those accounts.

"We’ll focus on delivering a small number of beautiful, high-quality photos and videos from a handful of brands that are already great members of the Instagram community," Instagram said in a blog.

PHOTOS: Top 11 hidden, cool features in Apple's iOS 7

Instagram also said users will be able to hide ads after they see them and provide the social network with feedback on why they didn't like that ad.

Facebook, which owns Instagram, has been showing ads on its social network for years, and this year, it is projected to account for nearly 16% of mobile ad revenue worldwide, according to EMarketer. By introducing ads on Instagram, Facebook is creating another revenue stream that will surely help the company expand its share of the rapidly growing mobile ad market.