WhatsApp denies report platform is exploring ads

WhatsApp’s top head on Friday denied a Financial Times report that said the Meta Platforms-owned messaging platform was exploring advertisements as it sought to boost revenue.

The app is seen by some analysts as an untapped growth opportunity, even years after Meta purchased the platform for $19 billion in 2014 in its biggest deal so far.

The sources  said teams at Meta were discussing whether to show ads in lists of conversations with contacts on the WhatsApp chat screen, but no final decisions had been made.

Meta was also deliberating it should charge a subscription fee to use the app ad-free, the report added, citing people familiar with the matter.

WhatsApp has more than 2 billion monthly active users, according to financial data firm Visible Alpha, but most of its revenue comes from its platform for small and medium-sized businesses that is used by about 200 million users every month.

Meta does not provide WhatsApp’s revenue, but Visible Alpha estimates the messaging service generated $1.06 billion in sales last quarter, which represents a mere 3% of the social media company’s total revenue.

Zuckerberg said last year WhatsApp and Messenger would drive the company’s next wave of sales growth, with business messaging “probably going to be the next major pillar” of Meta.