Facebook News Tab Vanishing in Europe: Get the Scoop on Meta’s Decision
In a recent announcement, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has revealed its decision to discontinue Facebook’s dedicated news tab in certain European countries starting early December.
The move is driven by Meta’s assertion that users in these countries do not frequently visit the platform for news and political content. However, it’s important to note that this change will not result in the complete disappearance of news from Facebook; rather, it will entail the removal of the dedicated news tab.
The affected countries include the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, with the news tab set to be removed from these regions.
Despite this change, news outlets will still retain the ability to post articles and various other forms of content that users can access and engage with.
Meta clarified its reasoning for this decision in a press release, emphasizing that the primary purpose of Facebook is to enable people to connect with one another and discover new opportunities, passions, and interests
According to the company, news content accounts for less than 3% of what users encounter in their Facebook feeds. Consequently, Meta believes that the vast majority of users will be largely unaffected by the removal of the news tab.
However, some concerns have arisen regarding the impact of Meta’s decision. Recent reports have indicated that the company has quietly reduced the referral traffic to media outlets.
According to a report from Reach PLC, a prominent UK news outlet, digital revenue in the UK experienced a decline of 14.5% during the first quarter of 2023. Reach PLC attributes this decline to “recent changes to the way Facebook presents news content,” which have led to a reduction in referred traffic across the media sector.
This development echoes Meta’s previous actions, such as blocking Facebook news content in Canada back in June. The decision was prompted by the passage of a law in Canada that required tech companies to compensate news outlets for their content. In response, Meta issued a press release stating that it was “ending news availability in Canada.”
Meta’s decision to remove Facebook’s dedicated news tab in select European countries reflects the company’s belief that users primarily turn to the platform for social connections and personal interests rather than news consumption.
While Meta has emphasized that news outlets will still have the ability to share content on the platform, concerns have been raised about the potential impact on referral traffic to media outlets, similar to the situation observed in Canada earlier this year.
As these changes take effect in the coming weeks, it will be interesting to see how they influence the landscape of news consumption on social media platforms.
