Facebook Trials Charging Users for Posting Web Links, Potentially Striking a Hard Blow to Publishers
Facebook's parent company, Meta, is conducting a limited test where users without a paid subscription may be limited to posting just two links to other sites per month.
The Trial's Parameters
This pilot program currently involves a subset of Facebook pages operating in Professional Mode, which is typically utilized by content creators to monetize their posts. Although publishers are excluded from this trial, the long-term implications could be significant.
"Beginning 16 December, certain Facebook profiles without Meta Verified will be limited to sharing two organic posts per month."
A History of Retreat
This move follows Meta's multi-year strategic withdrawal from news distribution. Media consultants point out that after ending deals to pay publishers and restricting news sharing in Canada, Meta has signaled strongly that news is not a priority.
Publishers already experienced a massive drop in online traffic following a 2023 decision to show less news in favor of more videos and viral content. Although visits were starting to rebound in 2024, it remained down by approximately half compared to the previous year.
The Push for Subscriptions
The new test is seen as part of a wider effort to persuade people to sign up for Meta Verified. This paid tier ranges in price from £9.99 to nearly £400 monthly and offers extra features like a blue checkmark and enhanced security.
- A company representative said: "This is a limited test to understand whether the option to post an greater number of posts with links provides extra benefit for Meta Verified subscribers."
- Analysts theorize this shift towards monetization may be linked to Meta's expensive ventures in other areas, like the virtual reality and AI.
Could News Benefit Elsewhere?
Interestingly that earlier in the year, Meta announced a shift towards a tailored feed for political content. Subsequent analysis indicated this may have led to increased publisher content showing up again for some users.
As one instance, visitors referred by Facebook to certain newspaper websites reportedly grew by a notable margin in the early months of this year.
In the end, this trial underscores the ongoing tension between giant tech networks seeking new revenue streams and news organizations that rely on them for readers and visibility.
