Facebook News was a very popular news source for a lot of Australians, but it can no longer be accessed in Australia. So the people have turned to another source to keep themselves informed.
Australians Search for Facebook News Alternative
Last Friday, the news app of Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) ranked #1 on the iOS download charts for free apps in Australia.
A homegrown Australian news app is now No. 1 in the App Store. Features include: reverse-chronological feed; less misinformation than the leading brand; and the “stories” here don’t disappear after 24 hours! I think it could have a chance …. pic.twitter.com/JRqqCNC5ax
— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) February 19, 2021
This happened two days after Facebook News was banned in Australia. According to App Annie at the time of writing, the ABC news app has since fallen to third. Facebook, meanwhile, was at fourth but has dropped down to ninth.
While ABC is the country’s national news broadcaster, Financial Times’ Uma Patel made a Twitter thread suggesting that there may be another reason why the ABC app shot to the top. She claims that following the Facebook’s news ban, ABC used advertisements to push its readers to the app.
Perhaps this move was a necessary attempt at damage control. A NiemanLab article says that for some news outlets in Australia, the Facebook News ban sent traffic down by a staggering 93 percent the next day.
How Will This Affect the News Industry in Australia?
It hasn’t been a week yet, and already the Facebook News ban is taking a toll on the Australian news industry.
Will this sudden change in landscape help local Austrailian media outlets gather more attention, or will the masses simply get their news from a different social media platform? We’ll keep you posted as events continue to unfold.
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