iWorld
Facebook to start testing ads on Instagram Reels
New Delhi: Social media giant Facebook Inc said on Thursday that it will begin testing advertisements on Instagram Reels in India as it aims to expand revenue from its short-form video feature. It will also launch this feature in a few other countries including Brazil, Germany, and Australia.
The social media platform plans to cash in on the popularity of Instagram Reels in India — a fast-growing social media market.
“The introduction of ads is an indication of how strong the momentum is for Reels,” said Facebook vice president – global business group Carolyn Everson. “It is a big deal for marketers.”
Facebook plans to test other features in India, such as letting content creators share Reels videos on their Facebook accounts, according to a report published by Reuters. As with other content on Reels, ads can be up to 30 seconds long and users can choose to skip the ads.
The Mark Zuckerberg-owned tech behemoth also announced that it will let advertisers select categories of video content they want to place ads on, such as videos about children and parenting, animals and pets, or fitness and workouts. Advertisers typically use Facebook to target certain users by their interests.
In addition to this, the social networking platform will begin testing sticker ads for Facebook Stories. Brands can create stickers that creators will place in their Stories, and influencers will earn a cut of any sales made through the sticker ads.
According to government data, India has as many as 41 crore Facebook users and as many as 21 crore people who use Instagram.
iWorld
Meta signs multiyear AI deal with News Corp
Agreement worth up to $50 million annually covers WSJ, New York Post and UK titles.
MUMBAI: Meta just bought itself a front-row seat to the newsroom because when AI needs facts, even Zuckerberg is willing to pay the subscription fee. Meta Platforms has signed a multiyear artificial intelligence content licensing agreement with News Corp that could be worth up to $50 million (£39 million) a year, The Wall Street Journal reported on 25 February 2026. The deal, expected to run for at least three years, grants Meta access to News Corp’s US and UK content including The Wall Street Journal and New York Post for training AI models and powering real-time information retrieval in its products.
Australian mastheads such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun are not included. News Corp CEO Robert Thomson revealed the arrangement during a Morgan Stanley technology conference in San Francisco, describing news organisations as a vital “input company” in the AI ecosystem. “We’re essentially an input company,” he said. “The great threat in the age of AI is going to be to what you might call output companies.”
Thomson emphasised the value of reliable journalism as foundational infrastructure for AI systems, noting regular conversations with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via Whatsapp and ongoing talks with OpenAI’s Sam Altman. He added that News Corp is in “advanced stage” negotiations for additional deals, promising further announcements soon.
The agreement follows News Corp’s 2024 five-year partnership with OpenAI (reportedly worth more than $250 million) and reflects Meta’s broader push to secure content licences. The company has already confirmed deals with People Inc, USA Today, CNN and Fox News, though financial terms remain undisclosed.
Publishers remain divided, some pursue partnerships for revenue, while others litigate. News Corp subsidiaries have sued Perplexity over copyright infringement, The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft, yet the same NYT struck a separate AI licensing deal with Amazon reportedly worth $20–25 million annually.
Thomson summed up the dual strategy as “woo or sue” seeking commercial agreements where possible, legal action when content is used without permission.
In an AI race where data is oxygen, Meta isn’t just training models, it’s buying the raw material for tomorrow’s answers, one headline at a time.
