Facebook News to launch in Brazil, India, UK, says Facebook

Facebook plans to soon launch its Facebook News tab in countries beyond the U.S., to include Brazil, France, Germany, India, and the UK, the company announced on Tuesday. Facebook News will will launch in the coming months in those countries. Users in the United States got it last year.

Sara Fischer [@sarafischer] at Axios tweeted earlier, "Facebook expediting launch of News Tab abroad - Eyeing UK, Germany, France, India, Brazil - Sources say it's working out deals to pay some publishers - Source confirms likely won't be launching in Australia b/c battle w regulators."

From her story for Axios:

Facebook is looking to accelerate the launch of Facebook News in multiple countries within the next 6-12 months, including the U.K., Germany, France, India and Brazil.

The tech giant is working closely with publishers in those regions to discuss the best ways to shape its news offerings based on the traffic and news consumption habits unique to each region.

Facebook plans to work with publishers of different sizes and scope. The idea is to help them reach more readers on the platform through the News tab, which could help support their businesses more broadly over the long term.

As is true in the U.S., not all participating publishers will necessarily be paid, and publishers that produce more content will likely receive bigger payouts.

More at Axios: Facebook accelerates News tab launch abroad.

And from today's Reuters:

The social media giant's news service currently pays U.S. publishers for content and has original reporting from more than 200 outlets, including thousands of local news organizations.

Facebook, which has 2.7 billion monthly active users, has come under fire for its lax approach to fake news reports and disinformation campaigns, which many believe affected the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, won by Donald Trump.

More at Reuters: Facebook plans news service launch in UK, India, Brazil