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Nov 30, 2020 - Technology

Facebook News to launch in U.K. in January

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Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images

Facebook said Monday that it plans to launch Facebook News in the U.K. in January, with several big publishers, including Conde Nast, The Economist, Guardian Media Group, Hearst and others, initially providing content.

Why it matters: The creation of Facebook's dedicated News tab has helped the company appease regulator demands globally for more equitable relationships with news publishers.

Details: Facebook plans to pay some, but not all publishers, to publish high-quality content and video for the News Tab in the U.K., similar to how it functions in the U.S.

  • The company says that aside from paying some news publishers, the News Tab has helped publishers reach new audiences.
  • Along with the announcement, Facebook also said that it's extended its community news grant program, which funds local news outlets by one year with an additional $3 million investment.

The big picture: The company also confirmed that it's in active negotiations to have the Facebook News tab appear in France and Germany as well.

  • The company said in August that it was looking to accelerate the growth of the News Tab abroad.
  • In a statement, the company said it would continue to work with publishers in countries "where market conditions and regulatory environments invite this kind of investment and innovation."
  • Facebook is currently in a spat with Australian regulators about regulatory terms to pay news publishers.

Go deeper: Zuckerberg wants Facebook's News Tab to do "a better job of supporting journalism"

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