Meta says it will no longer pay for news in Australia, Germany and France

The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris, France, on June 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

SYDNEY — Meta said on Friday it will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in Australia, France and Germany.

"Additionally, to ensure that we continue to invest in products and services that drive user engagement, we will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in these countries and will not offer new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future," Meta said in a statement.

The owner of Facebook has oft been at loggerheads with Australia over a requirement for it to pay publishers for news content.

"Meta’s decision to no longer pay for news content in a number of jurisdictions represents a dereliction of its commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media," Australia's assistant treasurer Stephen Jones said in a statement.

The government is seeking advice from the Treasury and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission on its next steps, he added.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal and Lewis Jackson in Sydney; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)