Today Facebook announced that letters of intent have been signed with Australian independent news organisations Private Media, Schwartz Media and Solstice Media.
In a statement issued by Facebook today, these agreements will bring a “new slate of premium journalism, including some previously paywalled content, to Facebook.”
The commercial agreements are subject to the signing full agreement within the next 60 days.
“We have collaborated with Facebook in the past and we look forward to the ways in which this deal will help us to continue producing Australia’s leading independent journalism. It’s never been more important than it is now to have a plurality of voices in the Australian press,” says Rebecca Costello, CEO of Schwartz Media.
Facebook says that these partnerships will “continue [its]commitment to the Australian news community.” This despite the recent ban it placed on content from news publishers in that country.
“For the past three years, Facebook has worked on creating a sustainable path for the news industry – from reaching commercial agreements with publishers, funding accelerators and grants to reach regional newsrooms affected by Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement reads.
Commenting from a publishers perspective, Will Hayward CEO at Private Media says: “We are excited to grow our existing partnership with Facebook; this new round of support will help fund independent journalism in Australia, as well as bring our reporting to new and diverse audiences on Facebook.”
