Meta to End Facebook News in the U.K., Germany, and France
Meta has announced it will be shutting down its Facebook News section in the U.K., Germany, and France starting in early December. This move is part of Meta’s ongoing effort to refocus its investments on products and services that users value the most, according to a company statement.
What is Facebook News?
Introduced in 2019, Facebook News was a dedicated news section that aimed to deliver curated local and international news. Initially launched in the U.S., it expanded to other regions, including the U.K., Germany, France, and Australia. The service provided users with a combination of algorithmically suggested articles and human-curated top stories. However, last year, Meta switched to an entirely algorithm-driven format.
Why is Meta Shutting Down Facebook News?
Meta’s decision aligns with its broader strategy of reducing its focus on news content, which has been a contentious area for the company. News and political stories have often led to divisiveness and controversy, prompting Meta to shift focus towards its creator economy and other user-focused services. The company has also noted that news content represents less than 3% of what users see in their feed.
"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
Impact on Publishers and Users
While the shutdown will remove the Facebook News tab, Meta reassured that users in the affected regions will still be able to share links to articles and access publishers' pages. Publishers will retain access to their Facebook accounts and Pages, allowing them to post links to their stories and direct traffic to their websites, just as any other user or organization would.
Global Trends and Regulatory Pressure
This move also reflects a broader global trend where governments and regulators have been increasingly scrutinizing the role of Big Tech in distributing news content. New legislation in countries like Australia and Canada has pushed tech giants to compensate publishers for their news content, with mixed reactions from Meta, including blocking access to news stories in Canada in response to the Online News Act.
Future of Facebook News
As Meta has stated, it does not plan to introduce any new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future. For now, Facebook News will remain available in the U.S. and Australia, though the long-term future of the service is uncertain. It’s clear, however, that Meta’s strategic shift away from news is part of a broader pivot towards other areas of its business.