Facebook Audience Network

Major mobile ad network undergoing strategic reduction, part of Meta's advertising ecosystem

Facebook Audience Network (FAN) is Meta's mobile advertising network that enables advertisers to extend their Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns beyond Meta's owned properties to a vast network of third-party mobile apps and websites. Launched in 2014, FAN allows app developers and publishers to monetize their inventory by displaying ads from Facebook's advertiser base, while giving advertisers access to additional high-quality inventory with Facebook's targeting capabilities and measurement tools. The platform supports various ad formats including native, banner, interstitial, and rewarded video ads. As part of Meta's advertising ecosystem, Facebook Audience Network leverages the same powerful targeting data and advertiser demand that powers Facebook and Instagram ads, making it a significant player in the mobile app monetization space. However, in response to Apple's iOS privacy changes (App Tracking Transparency) and evolving privacy regulations, Meta announced in 2022 that it would be shutting down the Audience Network for mobile web inventory and significantly scaling back the product, focusing primarily on in-app monetization for a limited set of partners. This represented a major strategic shift in Meta's off-platform advertising strategy.