Facebook Reportedly Hosting Content of News Websites

Facebook is reportedly meeting with giant media companies to begin hosting content inside the social network. The move will save users time wasted from clicking links and waiting for pages to load.

In an era where much of a website’s traffic is coming from social networks, major publishers are tweaking their social media strategies to boost readership and, eventually, profits. Facebook, the world’s number one social media company, is pressing publishers and media companies again with its plan to host content within its platform.

According to the New York Times, Facebook is currently negotiating with six media companies to host content inside the social network instead of linking to their own websites. Soon, Facebook’s users will be able to read articles without having to click links to a publisher’s website.

Furthermore, Facebook will host the content inside its platform, saving users time wasted from waiting for a website to load, the report adds. Of the six companies, five were named: New York Times, Buzzfeed, National Geographic, Huffington Post, and Quartz. British newspaper, The Guardian, could be the sixth media company to be approached by Facebook, although that remains to be seen.

Facebook and the six media companies did not comment on the report. The obvious issue here is advertising. While the New York Times has a paywall, the rest rely on advertising. Hosting content inside Facebook could mean losing website traffic and advertising revenues. However, Facebook is said to be working on ways for publishers to make money from running ads alongside their hosted content. The initiative is expected to be announced in the coming months.