Facebook has said it will shut down its Atlas ad-buying tool, but will continue to use the analytics side of the platform, according to a news report.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the move forms part of Faceboook’s strategy of selling ads directly via the social network’s Audience Network, instead of giving marketers the tools to purchase advertising themselves.
Previously, advertisers could use Atlas ad server to automatically determine which specific ads to place into slots bought without Facebook’s involvement.
The measurment side of the Atlas platform, which Facebok will continue to use, lets advertisers evaluate how all the different ads they bought performed, including the ones bought through Facebook, in order to allocate credit and decide where to spend their money going forward.
A Facebook spokesperson declined to say how many advertisers have used the Atlas ad server to date. But the Atlas measurement tool has been used by more than 300 advertisers in the past 18 months, according to the company.
Facebook will now sell all ads though the Facebook Audience Network (FAN), a tool that lets advertisers extend their campaigns beyond Facebook to reach audiences on mobile apps, mobile websites, Instant Articles, and videos.