Facebook is saying goodbye to its dedicated News tab. The social media giant will remove the feature from apps in the United States and Australia come early April. This move follows similar removals last year in other key markets like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
The News tab first appeared in 2018 as Facebook sought to better serve users seeking out news stories and information. However, user engagement with the dedicated space has sharply fallen off. Data shows people now come to Facebook less for news and more for social connections with family and friends. In fact, news content only makes up about three percent of what the average user sees in their regular Facebook feed.
With people’s interests evolving, Facebook has decided to refocus its efforts. The company will put more emphasis on short videos, Reels, and other engaging social experiences. Removing the News tab allows Facebook to redirect resources in a way that better matches what users want most. The change comes as Facebook also faces declining revenue as advertisers shift budgets to different platforms.
Publishers and media outlets will not be completely cut off, however. They can continue posting news links and stories on their Facebook pages as usual. This allows them to still drive readers back to their own websites and apps. Existing financial agreements between Facebook and some publishers in other markets also remain in place until scheduled endings.
Going forward, Facebook pledges to maintain fact-checking efforts to curb misinformation spread. But the company will not pursue new commercial deals focused solely on licensing or paying for news content. With the dedicated News tab now a thing of the past, it will be interesting to see how publishers and readers adapt in this new chapter of Facebook’s relationship with the news industry.
