News outlets have become increasingly dissatisfied with how online platforms like Facebook and Google are consuming the digital advertising market and gaining more control over the online distribution of news. Although many publishers recognize the importance of online platforms for getting their content in front of broad audiences, there are also drawbacks. And if Facebook were to adopt the subscription feature, it would move the platform closer to controlling the relationship with the reader — a relationship that news outlets used to own directly. It is not clear if Facebook will benefit financially from a news subscription feature. As more publishers move toward subscription models, a news subscription service like the one Facebook has proposed could work to their advantage by driving more casual readers to pay for news.

Source: New York Times July 20, 2017 00:00 UTC