In the last few months, an increasing number of social media, and media platforms have been quietly adding ad-free subscription tiers for users.
For those experiencing ad fatigue (when was the last time you saw a post from your close friends rather than another targeted ad from that site you visited that one time?) this likely comes as a relief, but for advertisers, this is an important trend to track.
Why the change?
Evolving and stricter data privacy regulations like the Digital Services Act in the EU demand that the public be able to opt out of ads if they so choose.
So, to remain compliant, social platforms will need to roll out an ad-free option for users. Meta now offers an ad-free subscription for €9.99 (only available in the EU).
In addition to this, other social platforms are adding their version of ad-free options as users grow tired of seeing ads dominating their social feeds.
Sounds interesting right?
Here’s a rundown of the recent changes that have been made:
- Snapchat+ tier costs $10.50/month with no Story or Lens ads.
- X’s ad-free premium plus plan is $16/month and gives you access to AI chatbot Grok.
- YouTube Premium is $13.99/month and provides an ad-free experience, access to YouTube Originals, and the ability to download videos for offline viewing.
- TikTok’s ad-free subscription is $4.99/month (Currently testing outside the U.S.)
- Amazon Prime video streaming service will offer users an ad-free version for an additional $2.99/month
The takeaway?
If ad-free subscriptions take off this could have a huge impact on the way businesses structure campaigns in the future.
For advertisers, these ad-free subscriptions may cause ad campaign reach to lessen and decrease ROI. Therefore, advertisers will need to be more creative and think outside the box to reach customers who have opted out of personalised ads.
As more platforms switch to ad-free options for paid users, business owners should consider building up an organic social media strategy so they can still stay in touch with their customer base and also build up their organic rankings on search engines.
It will be interesting to see how many users choose to opt out of personalised content and targeted ads.
Would you pay for an ad-free subscription? Let us know!
To note: Although many of the current big platforms are adding ad-free subscription models, it’s important to watch for new media ad platforms getting their footing. You never know what future media platforms could be good for your brand. 👀
If you want expert advice on any aspect of social media marketing for your business, please get in touch.
