Facebook has made its next move to make sure users never leave the platform, announcing its new Instant Articles initiative, which will allow some of the world’s biggest news producers to publish content straight into news feeds.
Instant articles will allow users to bypass the websites of publishers such as The New York Times, BuzzFeed, National Geographic, NBC, The Atlantic and The Guardian, to read stories without ever leaving Facebook.
Facebook product manager Michael Reckhow said in a statement the platform will use the same technology that loads photos and videos quickly in its mobile app to load news articles up to 10 times faster than standard mobile web articles.
“Once there, new features like tilt-to-pan photos, auto-play video, embedded audio captions, and interactive maps let you explore the story in beautiful new ways,” said Reckhow.
The initiative, which is being rolled out from today, may make it harder for small businesses to get their unpaid content seen in news feeds.
Kirsten Robb is a former journalist at SmartCompany. Previously, she worked at News Corp as a property reporter for Leader Newspapers and the Herald Sun, and holds a Masters of Journalism at Melbourne University.
