Meta disbands Australian news team in omen for $100m publisher deals
The last remaining executive in Meta's Australian news partnerships team is moving to a new role.
Social media giant Meta has effectively disbanded its Australian news partnerships team, casting further doubt over the renewal of deals worth about $100 million it struck with publishers under the federal media bargaining code.
The last remaining executive in the Australian news partnerships team, Andy Hunter, is moving into a new role folding in music partnerships, according multiple sources familiar with the change, while his last remaining colleague based in Australia, Nicola Wood, left the company last week after her contract expired. A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, declined to comment.
Meta’s broader media partnerships team in the Asia-Pacific is now expected to lead renegotiations of the lucrative publisher deals, which begin to roll off from next year.
The confidential agreements were secured by 13 media companies including ASX-listed News Corp, Nine Entertainment Co. and Seven West Media under the federal government's News Media Bargaining Code after it took effect in 2021, allowing several publishers to bring forward significant investments in newsroom personnel and technology.
