Facebook Users May Soon Pay for Content: Report

[Sunlei]

Source: investopedia

By Donna Fuscaldo | June 13, 2017 — 12:03 PM EDT

Facebook after years of pleading from publishers, is reportedly building a new feature that will enable users to pay for digital subscriptions directly from its mobile app

Citing people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported the service is slated to appear by the end of the year and is in response to publishers who have long called on the social media company to aid in subscription growth. With Facebook and Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOG) Google controlling the online advertising market, increasing the number of digital subscriptions has taken on a sense of urgency for media companies, particularly ones with newspapers such as the WSJ Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Financial Times. (See also: Facebook Usage Soars During TV Commercials.)

When the social media operator launched Instant Articles in May 2015, publishers called on it to include a subscription option, but while it explored the idea, it didn’t come to fruition partly over concerns that it would create road blocks for its users to access content. The media companies using the platform found they weren’t making money on the feature on their own websites, which prompted more calls to charge users.

There’s also talks centered on how the social media company would accept payments and what if any cut of the sales it would receive. In one idea, publishers would keep all the money from the digital subscriptions. If the feature launches, it will also be a boon for local and regional publishers that have had a tough time generating sales beyond their print editions.





Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/news/facebook-users-may-soon-pay-content-report/

[C Moon]

1. I couldn't tell what the plan is by reading the article. I doubt it's good for users, though.

[Sunlei]

3. anytime something "free" starts "pay to view", its never good for users.

especially once they get your credit card number in the app

[C Moon]

8. that's what I was thinking.

I'm sure other social apps will jump all over this in an attempt to grab FB's following: I'm thinking this may be the beginning of their downfall.
Although, I thought Google+ was the end of FB.

[meadowlander]

14. I think it means you can pay a subscription fee to follow certain publications in your Facebook feed

so instead of hitting a paywall when you click a link out to the New York Times, you just pay to follow the NYT on Facebook.

[C Moon]

24. Okay. Thanks. I think you're correct.

[luvMIdog]

2. Pay Pal is also now charging per use ;)

First they suck you in and let you get cozy & then later you have to pay.

[Sunlei]

4. paypal is charging now? when did that start?

[luvMIdog]

5. I think yesterday or the day before. When you use it a small fee is taken from you. The sent me a

notice about it in my email.

[Sunlei]

6. I need to start checking email again. I hate fees & use paypal to pay a couple bills & buy ebay

guess I'll get rid of paypal account, they already make great fees off of businesses.

[luvMIdog]

7. I'm going to keep mine. I just don't like spreading my card info everywhere.

[Sunlei]

10. just checked, paypal takes right from my bank, they don't have my card info. no fees for me.

I like using paypal for some bills & subscriptions because its easy to stop any auto-pay very quickly, if needed.

[xor]

25. Not sure we're talking about the same email, but I got one yesterday

that said they were adding an option to have money transferred from paypal into your bank account more quickly. To use that there would be an additional fee. Which I suppose could be useful for those conduct business using paypal. Although, many businesses that use paypal can get a mastercard that pulls money from paypal.

[luvMIdog]

26. this is a screenshot of what they sent me-

[url=https://servimg.com/view/19465124/519][img][/img][/url]

[xor]

27. Yeah that's the same email.

It doesn't sound like you'll be charged for withdrawing your money if you don't opt for the faster transfer option. There is another service I use to send money to my brother (and for him to repay me). It's free if you use the slower method that takes about a day to transfer, but if you want an instant transfer then it's a $1 fee. I'm assuming these changes are for something similar.

[luvMIdog]

29. Thank you. I use a card for faster transfer because I download games, etc. I make purchases online.

Thank you for your help

[still_one]

9. Here is what services are free, and where there is a charge at PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/us/selfhelp/article/What-are-the-fees-for-PayPal-accounts-FAQ690

[WePurrsevere]

12. It's early for me, am I missing something?...

Other than annoying fee increases it looks pretty much the same as it has for quite a few years.

As an eBay buyer and past seller I've used PayPal since confintity merged with x.com and became PayPal. I liked it much better when they paid $5 if you brought in a new member.

[pansypoo53219]

11. oh darn! suckers

[DeminPennswoods]

13. subscriptions are the wave of the future

Remember back in the early internet day when greeting cards were free and everyone was sending them? Then greeting card publishers stopped making their cards available and/or charging for sending them. This is what will happen with all content that cost $s to produce.

Josh Marshall over at TPM had a long post in his editor's blog about why TPM was moving toward a subscription model - they just don't/can't get enough digital ad money to maintain and expand TPM. There will still be free content, but it will be subsidized by subscriptions.

[Doug the Dem]

15. Good!

Hopefully, this will persuade sites like Slate and Salon (I'm sure there are others) to stop requiring a Facebook account to sign up. Fuck Zuck!

[ananda]

16. I avoid PayPal like the plague anyway.

My recent upset was Amazon Prime's Pantry.

You have to buy five items before you get free shipping.

Prime was supposed to come with free shipping, but that
has changed.

When my year is up, no more Prime for me!

[Sunlei]

18. I like prime for the two day free delivery, even that part of prime service is a PITA.

If you order 6 different items, you may get 6 different delivery persons in their own cars at all hours of that second day.

Sometimes phone calls too because the 'contract delivery drivers' get lost and can't find your house. I guess amazon pays people to deliver packages using their own car so they don't have to pay benefits.

[ananda]

20. Pantry is awful!

I hate Prime now! This is not what I signed up for!

[Sunlei]

21. their prime 'free movies' are horrible as well. selection of free with prime is crappy and Amazon

always tries to trick you into paying a couple bucks for the better movies. part of a series will be free and rest is pay.

check with your local grocery stores, some of them have started home delivery at fairly low price and they take coupons on online orders & deliver fresh stuff like produce/dairy.

[JonGeb]

28. food

Because food is much more difficult to give away free shipping. It requires dry ice/ice packs/foam packaging.

Free shipping doesn't exist in the food business, it's either charged up front or worked into the product price.

[Baitball Blogger]

17. The whole point of Facebook is to remain in contact with friends and family members.

If they start moving to another service that provides this option for free, then the Facebook experience is over. There is no point in hanging around just to talk to yourself, or to the few who might be stalking your pages for all the wrong reasons.

[Sunlei]

19. I agree, contact with friends and family is the basis of facebook. They should be happy with ad rev.

Besides facebook is where criminals go to shop for easy marks.

[Jim Lane]

22. As I read the OP, Facebook would still provide all that for free.

The change would be that, if you want a digital subscription to a particular newspaper, you could pay for it through your Facebook page, instead of having to go to that newspaper's website. I seldom use Facebook but that doesn't seem like much of an imposition on users. Presumably, Facebook would pursue revenue by touting this option, creating just one more annoyance to ignore.

[Baitball Blogger]

23. Thank you.

My bad. So much going on today that I just skimmed through the article.

[BadGimp]

30. SOCIAL Apps will Eat the networks and Cable imo

With the real time anywhere reach of Twitter, Facebook, SnapChat, WhatsApp etc these networks will become more and more the digital streaming option of choice for the "new" digital consumer.

I have not had a cable TV box in my home in 3+ years.