Meta revealed on Thursday (February 29) that it will remove Facebook's news-only functionality (Facebook News Tabs) in April. This change will affect Facebook users in the United States and Australia.
Meta explains the reason for the decision to remove the news tab on Facebook: It is part of an ongoing effort to align investment in products and services with user preferences as closely as possible.
“As a company, we need to focus our time and resources on the things that users tell us they want to see more of on the platform, like short video,” Meta said in a company blog post, noting that the number of people using the Facebook News tab has declined in Australia and the United States. United States by more than 80% in 2023.
This was reported by news agency CNBC. Meta's decision to remove the News tab from Facebook comes after the company announced this in September. 2023 The same will be done for Facebook users in the UK. France and Germany This represents another step by Meta in its attempt to distance itself from the news industry. Meta has been criticized for years for its approach to tackling misinformation and enforcing other content moderation policies across its apps.
Meta launched the News Tab on Facebook in 2019 with the goal of bringing users closer to stories that impact their lives. But it has shifted its focus to developing short-form video content via Reels amid competition from ByteDance, TikTok's parent company.
This change will not affect existing Facebook News agreements between Meta and Australian news publishers. France and Germany But this agreement has now expired in the United States and the United Kingdom.
However, Meta said it would not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in these countries. We will not offer any new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future.
It will continue to invest in products and services that enhance user engagement, Meta said. News organizations can continue to leverage Facebook products like Reels and ads to reach a broader audience. And attract users to their website. Facebook still earns 100% of its income from clicking on links from Facebook.
Written by InfoQuest News Agency (01 March 2024)
Tags: reels, usa, australia, facebook, meta
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