As it promised last month, Facebook announced today that the News section in its mobile app finally goes live in the UK. The new section provides a central hub for curated and personalized news content.
Along with the rollout, Facebook also introduced new publishing partners whose content will be featured in the new destination on its mobile app. These new publishers include the Financial Times, Sky News, Telegraph Media Group, Channel 4 News, DC Thomson, and the Daily Mail group. They will join existing publishers that previously participated in Facebook News such as The Guardian, The Economist, The Independent, STV, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and Vogue.
Facebook News features top stories of a given day and news content tailored based on their interest. Users can also control what articles, topics, or publishers they see on their dedicated feed. News digests covering major news stories such as those pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic will also appear with a focus on “original and authoritative reporting".
For publishers, the News section expands their opportunity to reach more audiences and gain new paying subscribers. It was first tested in October of 2019 in the U.S. and Facebook plans to bring it to Germany and France next.