Facebook's parent company, Meta, is running a small-scale trial where users without a paid subscription could be restricted to posting just two links to other sites per month.
Details of the Test
This pilot program at present includes a subset of Facebook pages using Professional Mode features, which is typically utilized by content creators to earn money from their posts. While news organizations are not part of this test, the broader impact could be significant.
"Beginning 16 December, some Facebook accounts without Meta Verified will be restricted to posting two free posts per month."
A History of Retreat
This action comes after years of Meta strategic withdrawal from news distribution. Media consultants note that after ending deals to pay publishers and restricting news sharing in Canada, Meta has made it clear that news is not a priority.
Media companies already experienced a massive drop in online traffic following a 2023 decision to de-prioritise news in favor of more videos and viral content. While traffic had been recovering in 2024, it remained down by approximately half compared to the previous year.
Driving Verified Sign-ups
The new test is seen as part of a broader campaign to encourage users to sign up for Meta Verified. This paid tier costs from £9.99 to nearly £400 monthly and offers extra features like a verified badge and improved account protection.
- A company representative said: "This is a small experiment to understand whether the ability to publish an greater number of posts with links provides extra benefit for Meta Verified subscribers."
- Some experts suggest this shift towards monetization may be linked to Meta's expensive ventures in other areas, like the metaverse and AI.
Could News Benefit Elsewhere?
It is worth noting that in January, Meta stated it would take towards a more personalized approach for news and politics. Later reports indicated this may have led to increased publisher content showing up again for some users.
For example, visitors referred by Facebook to some major sites reportedly grew by a notable margin in the early months of this year.
Ultimately, this test highlights the ongoing tension between social media platforms seeking new revenue streams and news organizations that depend upon them for readers and visibility.
