Facebook paid a hefty sum for WhatsApp, $16 billion, for those keeping count. Many have wondered since then just how the world’s largest social network is going to make money from the world’s largest cross-platform messaging service. The answer came earlier this year when it was revealed that the Status feature will be used to deliver ads. A company executive has revealed that this will be the “primary” monetization mode for WhatsApp.
The Status feature is basically an extension of the Stories feature on WhatsApp. It wasn’t surprising when the company said it would deliver ads through Status. Instagram already shows ads in Stories and has seen considerable success with it so it makes sense for Facebook-owned WhatsApp to do the same.
WhatsApp Vice President Chris Daniels reiterated that the company has already said that it’s going to put ads in Status. “So that is going to be a primary monetisation mode for the company as well as an opportunity for businesses to reach people on WhatsApp,” he added.
When asked if he coud provide a timeframe of precisely when WhatsApp users could start seeing ads in Status, Daniels didn’t have a precise date to share. Media reports suggest that this could happen sooner rather than later.