Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)is about to unleash another news-themed app called Notify, which is a news discovery app targeting consumers. Notify will join Facebook’s publisher-focused news apps such as Signal and Instant Articles. A Financial Times report indicates that Notify will formally launch next as an independent news app with the backing of multiple media partners including Washington Post, CBS and Vogue.
True to rumors, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has been busy working on a news discovery service called Notify. Work on the product is now complete and it is expected to roll out as soon as next week – or sooner. Notify is a simplified way for people to discover news and also follow trending news topics in real-time.
Media contributors
Although Facebook has not officially announced the coming of Notify, it is said to feature several media contributors and that it will function as a standalone app. Some of the media companies expected to contribute content to Notify include CBS, Vogue and Washington Post.
Focus on news consumers
With Notify, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)is playing into the increasing social news consumption. Unlike Instant Articles and Signal before it, Notify is focused more on news consumers than publishers. Facebook wants to make it easy for people to discover hot news stories in real-time and stay updated on everything that matters to them.
The planned launch of Notify comes just a few days after a survey recently showed that most college students in the U.S. consume political news on social media. A vast majority of those students (about 80% of them) news come to Facebook as their primary source of 2016 Presidential Election campaigns updates.
Notify appears to be Facebook’s answer to Moments from Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), which is another curated news update services.
Everyone covered
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s news ambitions look geared at having everyone covered. Through Instant Articles, the company serves the interest of publishers. With Signal, Facebook serves the interest of journalists by allowing them an easy way to source for news. Now, Notify serves the interest of news consumers.
Sources: reuters
