 "Australian govt upset as Meta announces to deprecate Facebook News, stop journalism funding deals")
Meta has announced that it will stop paying Australian news publishers and will “deprecate” Facebook News in the US and Australia in early April 2024.
The move is similar to what Meta did in the UK, France and Germany in September 2023.
No New Deals
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in Australia as well as the US, and will not offer new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future.
The move has been taken by Meta to ensure that it continues to invest in products and services that drive user engagement.
Why Meta is deprecating Facebook news in Australia & US?
While explaining the reasoning behind its decision, Meta said the number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the US has dropped by over 80 per cent last year.
“We know that people don’t come to Facebook for news and political content — they come to connect with people and discover new opportunities, passions and interests,” Meta said in a blog.
It further said news makes up less than 3 per cent of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, and is a small part of the Facebook experience for the vast majority of people.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“This is part of an ongoing effort to better align our investments to our products and services that people value the most. As a company, we have to focus our time and resources on things that people tell us they want to see more of on the platform, including short-form video,” Meta added.
Will the change impact Facebook user?
Deprecating Facebook News in these countries will not impact the terms under Meta’s existing Facebook News agreements with publishers in Australia, France and Germany.
“People will still be able to view links to news articles on Facebook. News publishers will continue to have access to their Facebook accounts and Pages, where they can post links to their stories and direct people to their websites, in the same way any other individual or organisation can,” Meta said.
“News organisations can also still leverage products like Reels and our ads system to reach broader audiences and drive people to their website, where they keep 100 per cent of the revenue derived from outbound links on Facebook,” it added.
These deals have already expired in the US and the UK.
Australian govt upset with Meta’s decision
Australia’s Minister of Communications, Michelle Rowland and Assistant Treasurer, Stephen Jones, slammed Meta’s decision.
Jones said the decision by Meta “represents a dereliction of commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media.”
At 3.30pm, Minister for Communications @MRowlandMP and I will outline the Albanese Government's response to Meta's decision to no longer pay for news content in a number of jurisdictions.
— Stephen Jones (@StephenJonesMP) March 1, 2024
This represents a dereliction of commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media.
While, Rowland said, “The decision removes a significant source of revenue for Australian news media businesses. Australian news publishers deserve fair compensation for the content they provide.”
This decision removes a significant source of revenue for Australian news media businesses.
— Michelle Rowland (@MRowlandMP) March 1, 2024
Australian news publishers deserve fair compensation for the content they provide. pic.twitter.com/lIdYZEndyU
The ministers said the Australian government is seeking advice from the Treasury and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on its next steps.
“We will now work through all available options under the News Media Bargaining Code. The government will continue to engage with news publishers and platforms through this process,” they said.
With inputs from agencies
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