"Meta Platforms Inc. will soon offer paid versions of Facebook and Instagram in the UK that will remove advertising from both platforms. In the coming weeks, users will be given the choice to pay 2.99 ($4) a month to access ad-free versions of either service on the web, or 3.99 for the iOS or Android apps. Meta said it was charging more for access on apps because of subscription fees levied by Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google on their respective app stores."
"The rollout comes as Meta continues to try and tread the line between Europe's strict approach to online privacy and growing sales generated from advertising, which accounted for 97% of its revenue last year. Meta will begin notifying users over the age of 18 that they can subscribe to Facebook or Instagram without seeing ads, the company said. They will still have the option to keep using the services for free with ads, it said. The company released a more expensive version of its subscription-fee offering in the EU in 2023, but was slapped with a 200 million ($232 million) fine in April after regulators argued the model still breached the bloc's digital antitrust rules and didn't offer users a genuine free choice. Meta tweaked the system to bring it in line with EU regulation, but in July the European Commission asked for further changes, implying that the company might face daily fines if the overhaul is deemed insufficient."
Meta will offer paid ad-free subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram in the UK, priced at 2.99 a month for web access and 3.99 a month for iOS and Android apps. The higher mobile price reflects subscription fees levied by Apple and Google app stores. Users over 18 will be notified and can choose paid ad-free access or continue using free, ad-supported versions. Advertising accounted for 97% of Meta's revenue last year. A prior EU subscription rollout in 2023 drew a 200 million fine for breaching digital antitrust rules; regulators later requested further changes and warned of potential daily fines.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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