Meta reduces EU Facebook and Instagram subscription fees by 40%
A logo of Meta Platforms Inc Photograph:( Reuters )
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Meta has reduced the price of its ad-free subscription versions of Facebook and Instagram by 40 per cent for European Union (EU) users. This has been done to comply with regulatory demands in the region, according to a detailed report by CNBC.
Meta has reduced the price of its ad-free subscription versions of Facebook and Instagram by 40 per cent for European Union (EU) users. This has been done to comply with regulatory demands in the region, according to a detailed report by CNBC.
Meta has reduced the price of its ad-free subscription versions of Facebook and Instagram by 40 per cent for European Union (EU) users. This has been done to comply with regulatory demands in the region, according to a detailed report by CNBC.
The leading social media company will also offer EU users access to Facebook and Instagram for free if they agree to be shown advertisements based on a limited set of user data, the company stated in a blog on November 12, the CNBC report detailed further.
Meta originally debuted an ad-free subscription service for the European Union in October 2023 due to an EU regulation intended to clamp down on anti-competitive practices by tech companies. The subscription service also came into effect after regional regulators fined the company over $400 million for violating EU data privacy laws.
“The changes we’re announcing today meet EU regulator demands and go beyond what’s required by EU law,” Meta President Nick Clegg said Tuesday on Threads, explained the CNBC report further.
Price drop for its EU subscriptions
The company said it will drop the price of its EU monthly subscription service from 9.99 euros to 5.99 euros for desktop users and from 12.99 euros to 7.99 euros for iOS and Android users.
If EU users choose the “less personalized option” to access Facebook and Instagram for free, they will see ads that “may be less relevant to a person’s interests,” the company said. For this version, Meta said it will show ads based on “a minimal set of data points,” including users’ age, gender, location and how they engage with ads.
Additionally, EU users who choose the free option will also see unavoidable advertisements that are intended to “provide value to advertisers,” Meta stated.
The EU’s tough regulations have impacted Meta’s ability to quickly debut new services in the region compared to less-regulated areas like the US In 2023, for instance, it took nearly half a year before Meta was able to offer its Twitter-like threads service to European users after it launched in the US that summer.
Pedro Pavón, a Meta global policy director, stated that while European Union regulators make it difficult for online-advertising based companies to operate in the region, he believes that the business practice of offering personalized ads represents “the foundation of a modern, free internet” and lets people “connect with the brands and products most relevant to them in seamless and non-disruptive ways.”
