Facebook News, once hailed as a platform to support journalism and strengthen democracy, is now facing its demise. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced the deprecation of Facebook News in the US and Australia by April 2024. This decision marks a significant shift in priorities for Meta, as it moves away from news and towards focusing on other aspects of its platform.
The Rise and Fall of Facebook News
When Facebook News was first launched in 2019, it came with millions of dollars in content deals for publishers. However, over the years, the platform has faced challenges and setbacks. The recent announcement of the deprecation of Facebook News follows a pattern of retreats from news by Meta, evident in the discontinuation of Instant Articles and the shift in focus to the Creator economy.
Meta’s decision to deprecate Facebook News is fueled by a shift in strategy. The company claims that news makes up less than 3 percent of what people see on their Facebook feed worldwide. Instead of paying publishers for content, Meta plans to focus its resources on areas that users have shown interest in, such as short-form video content.
The end of Facebook’s licensing deals will have significant implications for publishers, particularly in Australia where the platform was paying $70 million per year to outlets. With these deals coming to an end, publishers will have to find alternative ways to drive traffic to their websites, away from Facebook.
Global Ramifications
The decline of Facebook News is not an isolated incident. Similar power struggles have occurred in other countries, such as Canada, where Facebook and Instagram blocked news in response to regulatory laws. The changing landscape of news distribution on social media platforms reflects a larger trend towards reevaluating the role of these platforms in the dissemination of information.
The deprecation of Facebook News by Meta signals a shift in priorities for the company. As it moves away from news content, it opens up opportunities for publishers to explore alternative avenues for reaching their audience. This decision also underscores the evolving relationship between tech giants and the news industry, highlighting the need for a reevaluation of how news is consumed and distributed in the digital age.
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