Facebook introduces separate section for media content

Shortly before that the Wall Street Journal reports Facebook is offering media companies up to $3 million a year to place headlines and excerpts from articles in the new space. Among the media outlets approached are the Washington Post, the financial service Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal-mother Dow Jones. Facebook did not comment on this information.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had brought the separate news section into the conversation in April. He said in a conversation with the head of the Springer media group, Mathias Döpfner, that the online network wanted to place greater emphasis on "high-quality and trustworthy news. Zuckerberg did not rule out royalty payments to participating media companies.

Facebook has vacillated back and forth in its approach to media content in recent years. At first, the online network became an increasingly important platform for media companies to reach users. But then, in the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign, Facebook was abused for the mass distribution of fake news - and set new priorities. In early 2018, Zuckerberg announced posts from family and friends would be given more weight than media content in users' news feeds. At the time, Facebook rejected the idea of a separate area for media content - a path taken by competitor Snapchat, among others.

Facebook and Google are particularly strong in the online advertising business - and they also receive advertising revenues that used to go to media companies.

Facebook offers media partners according to Wall Street Journal the choice of whether to hold their content directly on the online network's platform - or to place only headlines and excerpts in the new area that lead on to their own websites. The newspaper could not find out whether media companies have already agreed to license content to Facebook. (SDA)