YouTube and Meta will now run ads for Gibney’s ‘Musk’ documentary

YouTube and Meta will now run paid ads for Musk, Alex Gibney’s documentary about Elon Musk, The Hollywood Reporter reported on Saturday. Both had refused the trailer ad. TikTok and X are still not running it.

The outlet first reported the refusals on Friday. Bleecker Street, the film’s US distributor, opens it in cinemas on 9 October. The documentary premiered in Venice this month.

What the platforms said

YouTube said its system had temporarily restricted the trailer when Bleecker Street submitted it as an ad.

“Following review the ad has been cleared to run,” YouTube said in a post on X.

YouTube also said the ad should appear soon. As of late Saturday morning, no one had told Bleecker Street of any change, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“This was an error and the ads are being restored,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Meta had already turned down an appeal from Bleecker Street before it changed course.

Political content rules

YouTube, TikTok and Meta had all told Bleecker Street the ad fell under their rules on political content. TikTok and Meta do not allow campaign or other political ads. Meta’s policy stems largely from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the outlet reported. YouTube allows campaign ads from vetted candidates, with paid-for disclosures.

The trailer includes a shot of Musk at a 2024 Donald Trump campaign rally. It also refers to the 2024 election.

X refused to discuss the film with Bleecker Street. It will not take ads for any of the distributor’s upcoming films either. Musk owns X, which is challenging a €120M fine in the EU.