Threads

Report: Threads expanding to Europe in December

Ben Schoon | Nov 30 2023 - 6:51 am PT

Meta’s Twitter competitor, Threads, has slowly found its own spot in the social media space and, soon, may seen an even bigger expansion as the platform is reportedly coming to Europe in December.

When Meta launched Threads, the service was available across the globe except in one of the most important regions, the European Union. The lack of support was due to EU regulations, but it seems that Meta has finally found a solution to launch the platform in EU countries.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Threads will launch across Europe in December with one main tweak to comply with EU regulations. Threads will allow users to choose between using the platform without an account to simply view posts, or to create a profile to make their own posts and interact. Today, users can view Threads posts and profiles through direct links, but the “threads.net” homepage offers no posts and requests login credentials. However, it’s worth noting that Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms live in the EU do the same thing.

In any case, another likely contributing factor to the expansion comes from the various improvements Meta has made to the service, such as introducing the ability to delete a Threads account separate from Instagram, among other changes.

An independent analyst, Debra Aho Williamson, claims that Threads arriving in Europe could result in over 40 million new users through 2024.

This also comes at a key time, as Twitter/X continues to experience turbulence under owner Elon Musk. In response to some antisemitic interactions from Musk, many of Twitter/X’s major advertisers have pulled from the platform. In an interview this week, Elon’s response to the departures included saying “go f*** yourself” and a dig at Disney CEO Bob Iger, as covered by 9to5Mac.