Meta prepares to say goodbye to Facebook’s News tab this spring

What do you want to know

• Meta says it will remove Facebook’s News tab from the platform “in early” April.
• The data showed that “more than 80%” of users stopped using the tab in 2023, when the interaction rate on Facebook was already extremely low.
• Facebook’s new focus appears to be on user desires and its short-form content, Reels.

Meta announced on February 29 that it plans to remove the News tab from Facebook “in early” April in the United States and Australia.

According to Meta, Facebook’s “News” tab featured sections for bookmarked content while also displaying featured news stories for users. The company said in its post: “We need to focus our time and resources on the things people tell us they want to see more of on the platform…” Meta added that this is also part of its “ongoing efforts” to realign its investments in its products.

Meta analytics showed that Facebook’s News tab accounted for “less than 3%” of its platform’s total interaction in 2023. This is supported by additional data from last year, showing that around 80%. users in the United States and Australia have stopped using the dedicated tab. tab for News.

The company says news publishers will retain access to their accounts on Facebook. Additionally, Meta encourages them to start changing their news distribution practices on its short-form media known as “Reels.”

Another option for publishers is Facebook’s advertising system, which would allow them to keep “100%” of the money earned from outbound links.

The disappearance of Facebook News in the United States and Australia comes six months after Meta I did the same thing in Europe. Meta initially launched the News tab on Facebook in 2019 for US users to help raise awareness of world events. The company then expanded the tab to more users, looping with those in Europe in 2020.

Part of Meta’s new focus on the services “people love most” is its short-form content: Reels. The short videos launching in 2022 are Facebook’s answer to TikTok, which featured editing tools and ways for new creators to make money. Meta has continued to offer creators even more ways to make money while rolling out tools to increase their discovery rate in your feed.