A year after first rolling out ads, Instagram is now taking things to the next level with video ads.
After six months of testing, the 15-second autoplay ads are officially rolling out today and should reach your news feed over the coming weeks, according to a report from AdWeek. The Facebook-owned social network is debuting video ads from several companies, including Disney, Activision, Lancome, Banana Republic, and the CW.
In a statement to PCMag, an Instagram spokesman confirmed the rollout.
"We're working with a number of brands on video ads, and that will continue to grow," the spokesman said. "Each ad is targeted at a specific audience, so the people who see the ads depends on who the advertisers are trying to reach."
Instagram first debuted ads last November with a Parisian-inspired jewelry-gram from fashion designer Michael Kors, which garnered more than 94,000 likes, but also attracted a horde of angry comments, many of which included foul language. While some users might hate the idea of ads invading their Instagram feeds, the company says they are effective for advertisers.
Over a nine-day period, an ad from Levi's reached 7.4 million people in the U.S., while one from Ben & Jerry's reached 9.8 million people over eight days, Instagram said last year.
Facebook started rolling out auto-play video ads in March. The first ads appeared on a limited number of news feeds, promoting the movie Divergent. As users scroll through their timeline, these videos automatically come to life, though they are muted by default.
Instagram isn't the only social network embracing ads. Snapchat earlier this month started rolling out ads in the "Recent Updates" section for those in the U.S. Meanwhile, Ello, the so-called anti-Facebook social network startup, recently made a new pledge to stay ad-free.
For more, check out some weird Instagram accounts in the slideshow above.