News Corp and Facebook reach three-year content deal in Australia

News Corporation has entered into a three-year deal with Facebook to provide millions of users in Australia with access to its content using the social media giant’s News product.

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The agreement covers the national newspaper of News Corp Australia, The Australian, news.com.au, major metropolitan masts including the Daily Telegraph in New South Wales, the Herald Sun in Victoria, the Courier-Mail in Queensland and regional and community publications. Facebook also struck a deal with Sky News Australia extending its existing compensation deal.

News Corp CEO Robert Thomson called the deal a “milestone in transforming the terms of trade for journalism,” noting that the move will have “a material and significant impact” on the Australian press business of the society.

“Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch led a global debate while others in our industry were silent or lying on their backs as digital dysfunction threatened to turn journalism into a beggar order,” added Thomson. “We are grateful to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman Rod Sims and his team for taking a principled position for publishers big and small. , rural and urban, and for Australia. This digital ending has been in the works for more than a decade. “

Further, Thomson praised Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his team for their role in “helping to shape a future for journalism, which has been under extreme stress for over a decade.”

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The announcement is News Corp’s latest partnership to resolve a dispute between publishers and tech giants over payments for news articles, following deals with Google and Apple.

News Corp and Facebook previously reached an agreement in October 2019 that allows the company’s U.S. publications to receive payments in exchange for access to additional articles for Facebook News.

Last month, Facebook announced it would block Australian publishers and users from viewing or sharing news articles, causing a standoff with the government. The company later reversed its decision after the Australian government passed a law called the News Media Trading Code, forcing Google and Facebook to pay for news.

Other deals with Australian publishers signed by Facebook include Schwartz Media, Solstice Media and Private Media, according to Reuters.