Facebook News Planned for Launch in India, Brazil, France, Germany, the UK

Facebook currently pays US publishers for content and has original reporting from more than 200 outlets.

By Gadgets 360 Staff With Input From Reuters | Updated: 26 August 2020 10:54 IST

Facebook News Planned for Launch in India, Brazil, France, Germany, the UK

Facebook News may not be launched in Australia

Highlights

Facebook introduced the feature in the United States last year
Facebook's news service in India, Brazil, France, Germany, and the UK
Facebook may not be the launching the service in Australia

Facebook said on Tuesday it plans to launch its news service in India, Brazil, France, Germany, and the UK in the coming months, after having introduced the feature in the United States last year. Facebook News is expected to launch in multiple countries within the next year. The social media giant also said that it would pay news publishers to “ensure their content is available in the new product.” A report also suggested that Facebook may not be the launching the service in Australia.

In its announcement, Facebook said that looking at the progress the service made in the US since its launch, Facebook News is being planned to be launched in the aforementioned countries within the next six to 12 months. Facebook's Global News Partnerships Vice President Campbell Brown assured in the announcement that the company would pay news publishers in each country.

The social media giant's news service currently pays US publishers for content and has original reporting from more than 200 outlets, including thousands of local news organisations. Facebook will continue to “focus on growing engagement of Facebook News in the US.” It said that the company will remain committed to the partnerships it has developed with American publishers in order to make Facebook News a “valuable asset” over the long term.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

In a report, Axios cited sources saying that Facebook may not be launching Facebook News in Australia. The country announced in April that it would begin forcing Google and Facebook to pay news companies for content, in a landmark move aimed at shielding traditional media from the tech giants' digital dominance. "What we want to see is a level playing field. What we want to see here is a fair go for the companies and for the journalistic content that is prepared," said Australia Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

Facebook Says Will Give Priority to Original News Reporting

Facebook, that has 2.7 billion monthly active users, has come under fire for its lax approach to fake news reports and disinformation campaigns, that many believe affected the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, won by Donald Trump. Following the criticism, CEO Mark Zuckerberg had said the company would prioritize "trustworthy" news in its feed by identifying high-quality outlets.

Which are the best truly wireless earphones under Rs. 10,000? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.