Snapchat will test unskippable ads in May

Snapchat is considering a new-but-familiar way to profit from its content: According to DigiDay, the company will start testing six-second TV commercial-like ads starting around May 15. By "commercial-like," we mean you can't skip them at all -- as it is, you can easily tap on a Snap ad to dismiss it. The company is reportedly planning to run the ads, aptly called "Commercials," in select shows produced by publishing partners like MTV-owner Viacom, such as Cribs and Girl Code. In other words, they're the kind of shows you'd usually expect to be interrupted by commercials if they're shown on TV.

Thankfully, the platform isn't peppering people's Stories and magazine-style Discover editions with unskippable commercials. So, you might not come across one at all if you only look at your friends' Snaps. As DigiDay noted, Snapchat probably conjured up the new ad format, because it's been spending a ton of money but has yet to become profitable. A 2017 study by customer acquisition firm Fluent found that 80 percent of 18-to-24-year-old American users, the app's key audience, usually skip ads on the platform. Clearly, the company knows that to become profitable by the end of the year, it has to find a way to earn from its audience.