Meta’s announcement about changes in the treatment of Facebook News in Australia

From the company’s announcement:

In early April 2024, we will deprecate Facebook News – a dedicated tab in the bookmarks section on Facebook that spotlights news – in the US and Australia. This follows our September 2023 announcement that we deprecated Facebook News in the UK, France and Germany last year.   

This is part of an ongoing effort to better align our investments to our products and services people value the most. As a company, we have to focus our time and resources on things people tell us they want to see more of on the platform, including short form video. The number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the U.S. has dropped by over 80% last year.

….this announcement does not impact the terms under our existing Facebook News agreements with publishers in Australia, France and Germany.

…Additionally, to ensure that we continue to invest in products and services that drive user engagement, we will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in these countries and will not offer new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future. 

Response from the Australian Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland:

Meta’s decision to no longer pay for news content in a number of jurisdictions represents a dereliction of its commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media.

The Government has made its expectations clear.

The decision removes a significant source of revenue for Australian news media businesses. Australian news publishers deserve fair compensation for the content they provide.

The Australian Government is committed to the News Media Bargaining Code and is seeking advice from Treasury and the ACCC on 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.

The Albanese Government is committed to promoting a strong, sustainable and diverse media sector given its vital importance to our democracy and social cohesion. 

Transcript of the March 1 media conference given by the Minister for Communications and the Assistant Treasurer.