By On September 5th, Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, made a significant announcement regarding the discontinuation of the “Facebook News” feature in some key European countries, including the UK, France, and Germany. This decision is set to take effect later this year, with the change officially being implemented in December. The move marks a notable shift in how users in these regions will interact with news content on the platform.
While this change will see the removal of the dedicated “Facebook News” tab, users in these countries will still retain the ability to access news articles through links shared on the platform. Additionally, European news publishers will continue to have access to their Facebook accounts and pages, ensuring that their online presence remains unaffected by this adjustment.
However, one important aspect to note is that Facebook will no longer engage in forming new commercial agreements for news content on the “Facebook News” platform in these particular countries. Moreover, there will be no further developments or product innovations directed at news publishers in the UK, France, and Germany.
The “Facebook News” feature, which has served as a curated feed of news articles, has been a dedicated tab in the bookmarks section of the Facebook app. Despite its presence, it’s worth highlighting that news content constitutes less than 3% of the content that users worldwide typically encounter in their Facebook feeds. Meta emphasized this point in a blog post, underlining that news discovery plays a relatively minor role in the overall Facebook experience for the vast majority of its users.
This development comes against the backdrop of increased scrutiny and pressure on major tech companies, including Meta and its peer Alphabet (the parent company of Google), from lawmakers worldwide. These authorities have been advocating for a more equitable distribution of advertising revenue with news publishers. In response to these pressures and legislative changes, Meta has also taken action elsewhere. For instance, it has recently blocked news content on both its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada, aligning with a new law that mandates internet giants to compensate news publishers. A similar law was implemented in Australia in 2021, leading to significant changes in how tech companies interact with and support news content on their platforms.
Meta’s decision to discontinue the “Facebook News” feature in select European countries represents a noteworthy development in the ongoing evolution of the company’s relationship with news publishers and the news content it hosts. The move is not only a response to regulatory changes but also a reflection of the evolving landscape of digital news consumption
