Meta to restore ads for Elon Musk documentary trailer — TechCrunch

Meta said it will resume showing paid ads for the trailer of “Musk,” a documentary about Elon Musk directed by Alex Gibney. A company spokesperson told TechCrunch that the previous rejection was a mistake and that the ads are being restored.

Platform rejections

Earlier, The Hollywood Reporter reported that TikTok, Meta, YouTube and X had refused to run paid ads for the trailer. According to the publication, Meta, TikTok and YouTube rejected the ads because of political content, which is subject to different restrictions on the platforms.

Meta last year announced that it would stop accepting political advertising in the European Union, while TikTok says it does not run such advertising at all. At the same time, it is unclear why advertising for a documentary trailer could have been considered election-related. The film’s U.S. distributor, Bleecker Street, told The Hollywood Reporter that it is appealing the platforms’ rejections.

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A film about Musk

“Musk” has already been presented at the Venice International Film Festival and, according to TechCrunch, received nearly unanimously positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% “fresh” rating. Its U.S. release is scheduled for October 9.

Director Alex Gibney previously made the documentaries “Going Clear” about the Church of Scientology and “The Inventor” about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, as well as a film about Steve Jobs. The nearly four-hour-long “Musk” tells the story of Musk’s technology career, his alliance with President Donald Trump and the entrepreneur’s personal life.

Platform X also refused to run the ads. Musk, who owns X, had previously spoken sharply about Gibney in his post. TechCrunch contacted YouTube, TikTok, X and Bleecker Street for comment.