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Facebook News launches in UK

January 26, 2021

By Nik Roseveare

Facebook News, a destination within the Facebook app, has commenced rolling out in the UK. The service features news from hundreds of national, local and lifestyle outlets. Facebook says its new product “puts original journalism in front of new audiences and provides publishers with more advertising and subscription opportunities to build sustainable businesses for the future”.

This is the beginning of the social media giant’s series of international investments in news.

Partners at launch for Facebook News include Channel 4 News, Daily Mail Group, DC Thomson, Financial Times, Sky News, Telegraph Media Group, The Economist, The Guardian, The Independent, STV and hundreds of local news sites from Archant, Iliffe, JPI Media, Midlands News Association and Reach as well as lifestyle outlets such as GQ, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Vogue and more.

With Facebook News, users in the UK will see the top headlines and stories of the day next to news personalised to their interests. During major news cycles, Facebook News provides timely news digests, highlighting original and authoritative reporting on the biggest stories. Facebook News gives people control over the stories they see in the app and the ability to explore news on a wide range of topics from a variety of news outlets. News articles shared by people and Pages will continue to appear in News Feed, just as they previously did.


In a blog post, Facebook commented: “We’ve been partnering with news organisations for many years and our goal has always been to work out the best ways we can support the industry in building sustainable business models. This product is a result of those conversations. As we invest more in news and pay publishers for more content in more countries, we will work with them to support the long term viability of newsrooms.”

“Facebook News was built to bring people closer to the stories that impact their lives and the community around them. Our aim is to build on our efforts to sustain great national and local journalism and create more value for publishers. We’ll continue to learn, listen and improve Facebook News as it rolls out across the UK and into other markets, including France and Germany, where we are in active negotiations with partners. In order to bring Facebook News and other news products that help publishers transition in the digital age to more countries, it is critical that regulatory environments invite this kind of investment and innovation,” the post added.

Categories: App, Articles, Content, Social Media

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