Meta Platforms is exploring options to introduce ad-free subscription plans for Instagram and Facebook users in Europe, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
Why? Who would have the infrastructure and funds to create a free and ad-free Facebook clone that can take over the scale of the Facebook userbase? What do you think happens when donations aren't covering your Lemmy instance by a wide margin?
That's great, but a hundred bucks says they'll be ad free for those subscribers for 5 years or so and then they will creep back in, then you'll need a Facebookplus+ subscription to get rid of the ads.
Youtube doesn't have real competition because hosting video is much more expensive than text. That's why Google doesn't make individual reports about YouTube, it's most likely not profitable.
Oct 2 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) is exploring options to introduce ad-free subscription plans for Instagram and Facebook users in Europe, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The proposal is an attempt by Meta to circumvent European Union regulations that threaten to curb its ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and hurt its major revenue source.
Offering a choice between a free, ad-supported plan and a paid subscription might lead to users opting for the former, helping Meta comply with regulations without affecting its ad business.
On mobile devices, the price for a single account would jump to roughly 13 euros because Meta would factor in commissions charged by Apple's and Google's app stores, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The social media company was fined 390 million euros earlier this year by Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner and told it cannot use the so-called "contract" legal basis to send users ads based on their online activity.
A Meta spokesperson said the company believes in "free services which are supported by personalized ads", but is exploring "options to ensure we comply with evolving regulatory requirements".
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