Meta plans to deprecate the Facebook News tab in the US and Australia in early April 2024 and stop signing deals for traditional news content in those countries

Meta Platforms Inc. is winding down its news feature in the US and Australia, part of a broader shift away from the category for the social media giant.

Bloomberg 2024-03-01

Context & Ripple Effects

Meta’s withdrawal from dedicated news products has unfolded in stages: it first moved to end support for Instant Articles, then told US news partners their News Tab payments would not continue under the prior arrangement. This announcement extends that retreat from publisher-facing distribution and licensing.

The US and Australia follow the earlier planned removal of the News tab in the UK, France, and Germany, making the change a broader product-policy direction rather than an isolated market decision.

First-order effects

US and Australian publishers lose a dedicated Facebook News surface and the prospect of new traditional-news content deals with Meta.
Meta narrows Facebook’s formal news-product commitments in two major markets, shifting its relationship with publishers away from News Tab distribution and licensing.

Second-order effects

Publishers that had built audience or revenue plans around Facebook’s news-specific programs must further reduce dependence on those channels and prioritize distribution they control or can monetize elsewhere.
The move reinforces the commercial pressure on news organizations after Meta’s earlier decision not to renew payments for US News Tab partners, reducing the pool of platform-funded news arrangements available to them.

Third-order effects

If this market-by-market rollback continues, platform-news relationships are likely to be defined less by dedicated products and content contracts and more by general-purpose distribution rules.
The change is a test of interface-neutral platform governance: once a platform removes a specialized news interface, publishers have less leverage tied to a distinct product and must adapt to broader platform policies.

The trend: Meta’s removal of Facebook News across successive markets is part of a wider shift from dedicated publisher partnerships toward general-purpose platform distribution.

Discussion

@jeffjarvis @jeffjarvis on x
Facebook's divorce from news continues: Dead news tab; no new deals for “traditional news;” no products made for publishers. Moral to this story: Be careful what you lobby for, publishers. You attacked Facebook on every front. What did you expect? Hugs? https://about.fb.com/...
@misha_saul Misha Saul on x
Amazing In for another round of humiliation as the networks send in their ministers to bat for them
@fboversight @fboversight on x
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rebuked Facebook's parent company Meta for its decision to pull millions in funding from Australian news organisations, labelling the move “untenable” and flagging action against the tech giant. https://www.theage.com.au/...
@joshbutler Josh Butler on x
🚨Meta/Facebook is “deprecating” its News tab and won't renew deals with Australian publishers under the News Media Bargaining Code (which gave major outlets big funding) Govt response: “represents a dereliction of its commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media” [im…
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
“It seems like profit is their sole objective without any sense of responsibility for what goes on a platform, which is extremely unfortunate behaviour as it's damaging to society.” https://www.smh.com.au/...
@pwgallagher Peter Gallagher on x
“Anthony Albanese has blasted Meta's abandoning of deals to pay for the news content... he labelled the moves as ‘unfair’ and ‘not the Australian way’”. Crikey, what “Australia” does Albanese live in where it's a sin not to subscribe to Fairfax & Murdoch?::https://www.theaustrali…
@markdistef Mark Di Stefano on x
Finally Facebook confirms it's not paying anymore money to news publishers. Balls now in the government's court to enforce the code. [image]
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
As expected. Showdown time. Facebook and Instagram will presumably block sharing news as in Canada and dare the govt and/or be designated by the govt. Facebook will lose, they can't keep exiting. It's bad for their experience and their audience. Make sure to get their A/B splits.
@bloodiedwombat @bloodiedwombat on x
Well done to Meta for calling the rent-seekers' bluff. Facebook sent clicks to news websites, where the sites have ads & run paywalls. It hasn't stolen a cent of anyone's news revenue, & now the rent seekers will have to live without the traffic. Listen to the piggies squeal! [im…
@brianstelter Brian Stelter on x
“Meta said on Friday it will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in Australia, France and Germany.” “The owner of Facebook has oft been at loggerheads with Australia over a requirement for it to pay publishers...” https://finance.yahoo.com/...
@realdrbrendan Havee Snowball Chu Chu on x
As much as I think Facebook is for tools, this is a classic. Meta, via a blog, has told the Australian Government to eff off by not paying for crappy MSM news content. The big ‘scary’ Australian government has lost face: “Meta's decision to no longer pay for news content in... [i…
@cameronwilson @cameronwilson on x
Meta, Facebook's owner, has announced it will not renew or do new deals with Australian news publishers. These deals (reportedly $70m/yr) were signed in response to a law that would force Meta to negotiate with news outlets to pay for news if they didn't do their own deals. [imag…
@nicfildes Nic Fildes on x
That's some headline [image]

Chronicles