End of Facebook News Content?

5 March, 2024

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Facebook will delete the “Facebook News” tab in the US and Australia. The decision will take effect in early April. The company also said it will not enter into new commercial agreements for Facebook News content in Australia, France and Germany once existing agreements with publishers in those countries expire.

The company’s deals with British and U.S. publishers have already expired.

The news comes just three years after Facebook agreed to support publishers of its choice in Australia after a tough battle with the Canberra government over payment for the content. In short order, that dispute led the #tech giant to ban Australian news content on its platform.

However, the Australian government disapproved of the tech company’s decision and said it “represents a failure to deliver on its commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media”.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Deputy Finance Minister Stephen Jones said in a joint statement that Canberra was seeking advice on next steps.

According to Facebook, the move to end the Facebook News section in Australia and the US, which follows similar actions in the UK, France and Germany in September, is part of “ongoing efforts to better align our investments with our products and services that people value most”.

The decision stems from Facebook’s recognition that its users visit the platform primarily for social networking and exploring their passions, rather than for news and political content.

“The number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the US has declined by over 80% in the past year”, the update said. According to Facebook, news content makes up less than 3% of what users see on their Facebook feeds globally.

For now, the company doesn’t foresee any changes to Meta’s other products and services in those countries.

Users can still access news through shared links on the platform.