Facebook has launched its curated news tab Facebook News in the United Kingdom, making it the first market outside of the US to receive support for the new feature.
Announced this week, Facebook will be adding a dedicated portal within the Facebook app to UK users on iOS and Android. The Facebook News portal will feature licensed content from credible local and national news and media outlets including Channel 4 News, Sky News, The Guardian, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Vogue and many others.
Users will be able to personalize their Facebook News feed to get a more curated list of news items each day. In partnership with a service called Upday, Facebook will enable users to like news stories to better personalize their experience. Likewise, users can hide news stories to “train the algorithm,” according to TechCrunch.
“The product is a mix of curated, top stories and personalized links chosen by algorithm,” a spokesperson said in TechCrunch‘s report. There’s been no word on the financial aspect of the deal inked between Facebook and Upday. However, the licensing deals Facebook has in place with some of the major news outlets reach “the tens of millions of pounds”.
It appears as though Facebook is taking a gradual approach to the Facebook News rollout. Next on the agenda is providing support in France and Germany. No launch day specifics were provided. Additionally, Brazil and India are on the shortlist of receiving the Facebook News tab in due enough time. It’s likely that Facebook is taking its time securing licensing deals before jumping the gun. There’s no telling when or if Facebook News will arrive in Canada.
