Meta is taking steps to distance itself from news-related regulations and payment complexities by announcing the removal of the news tab on Facebook in the U.S. and Australia, with plans to sunset the product in April 2024. The decision comes after a similar move last year when Meta discontinued Facebook News in the UK, Germany, and France, citing a desire to focus resources on core products and services.
According to Meta, the usage of Facebook News in Australia and the U.S. has declined by 80% over the past year. The company states that this move is part of an ongoing effort to align investments with products and services that users value the most, with a focus on short-form video content.
Last year, Meta revealed that news comprises less than 3% of the content shown in users’ feeds, indicating that the impact of the news tab’s removal may be minimal. Publishers have also experienced a decline in referral traffic from Facebook over the years.
The decision to shut down Facebook News is influenced by regulatory developments, particularly in Australia and Canada, where legislation requires platforms to pay online publishers for their content. Meta began blocking news links for users in Canada in August 2023.
The company clarified that existing agreements with publishers will remain unaffected until their expiry, and users in Australia and the U.S. can still share news on their feeds while publishers retain the ability to manage their pages and post links.
Importantly, Meta emphasized that it has no plans to invest in new news-related products. The company will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in the affected countries and will not develop new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future.
This move aligns with Meta’s consistent trend of reducing efforts and investments in news-related initiatives. Even on Threads, a social network launched last year, Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated that the company is not prioritizing the amplification of news content.
