Facebook Tests User Fees for Sharing Links, Possibly Striking a Hard Blow to News Outlets
Facebook's parent company, Meta, is running a small-scale trial where users without a paid subscription could be restricted to sharing only two external web links per month.
Details of the Test
This pilot program currently involves a selection of Facebook profiles using Professional Mode features, which is often used by creators and influencers to monetize their posts. While news organizations are not part of this test, the long-term implications could be significant.
"Starting 16 December, some Facebook accounts without Meta Verified will be limited to sharing two free posts per month."
Stepping Back from News
This action comes after Meta's multi-year deliberately retreating from news distribution. Industry analysts note that after withdrawing from publisher payments and restricting news sharing in Canada, Meta has signaled strongly that news is not a priority.
Publishers already experienced a steep decline in online traffic following a policy change last year to show less news in favor of more videos and viral content. Although visits were starting to rebound in 2024, it was still lower by around 50% compared to the previous year.
The Push for Subscriptions
The new test is understood to be a wider effort to encourage users to subscribe to Meta Verified. This subscription service costs from £9.99 to almost four hundred pounds monthly and offers extra features like a verified badge and improved account protection.
- A company representative said: "This is a limited test to understand whether the option to post an increased volume of posts with links provides extra benefit for paying users."
- Analysts theorize this move to charge for reach may be linked to Meta's expensive ventures in other areas, like the virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
Could News Benefit Elsewhere?
Interestingly that in January, Meta announced a shift towards a tailored feed for political content. Later reports indicated this could have resulted in increased publisher content showing up again for some users.
As one instance, traffic from Facebook to certain newspaper websites was said to increase by a notable margin in the first part of 2025.
In the end, this trial underscores the continuing struggle between social media platforms seeking new revenue streams and news organizations that rely on them for traffic and audience reach.
