LONDON: Facebook Inc. will spend $1 billion on social media creators through the end of 2022 in a fight for top talent announced in a week when TikTok became the first rival mobile app to hit 3 billion global downloads.
Facebook’s investments will include bonus programs to pay creators who hit certain milestones on its apps, including photo-sharing service Instagram, and fund users to produce content, the company said.
The social media giant is opening its wallet to woo creators with major fan followings from platforms like Alphabet Inc’s YouTube and short video app TikTok.
Multiple major tech platforms are on the offensive to attract and keep social media personalities with new payments and services.
TikTok has committed to spending $2 billion to support creators over three years. Snap Inc’s Snapchat used to pay creators a total of $1 million per day to post popular short-form videos on its service and says it still distributes millions per month to support creators through its Spotlight program.
“With the 3 billion install milestone, TikTok is the fifth non-game app to join a tier that’s historically been the exclusive domain of Facebook,” said mobile insights firm Sensor Tower in a Tuesday report.
Facebook said its bonuses so far are by invitation only. On its main platform video creators and online gamers will receive a monthly bonus if they hit milestones like broadcasting a certain number of hours to earn Stars, a form of digital tipping that fans can use to pay their favorite creators during live-streamed videos.
Instagram’s bonus programs will include incentives to use Reels, its copycat TikTok feature that showcases short-form video clips. Creators will earn money based on how their Reels videos perform, the company said.
Facebook and Instagram will invest over $1 billion in content creators
https://arab.news/23rfw
Facebook and Instagram will invest over $1 billion in content creators
- Facebook announced it will spend $1 billion on social media creators through the end of 2022 in a fight for top talent
- The investment will include bonus programs to pay creators who hit certain milestones on its apps
Tucker Carlson claims he was detained at Israeli airport
DUBAI: Earlier this week, Tucker Carlson flew to Israel to interview US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, according to media reports.
Carlson, who reportedly refused to leave Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport complex, conducted the interview at the airport, after which he said he and his staff were detained and their passports were seized.
“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Carlson said in a statement to The New York Post.
However, Carlson’s claims have been contradicted by Huckabee and Israeli authorities.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Fox News host, said on social media platform X that “EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions,” including himself, despite holding a diplomatic passport and visa.
Thanks @EFischberger for a more accurate report. EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions. Even ME going in/out with Diplomatic Passport & Diplomatic Visa. https://t.co/UbblLiznMO
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) February 18, 2026
The US Embassy in Israel also described the interaction as routine passport control procedures.
The Israel Airports Authority said in a statement that Carlson and his staff “were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.”
They were asked “a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers,” and this conversation took place in a separate room within the VIP lounge to protect their privacy, the statement added.
“No unusual incident occurred, and the Israel Airports Authority firmly rejects any other claims.”
Israeli Airports Authority:
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) February 18, 2026
Contrary to the reports, Tucker Carlson and his entourage were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.
Mr. Carlson and his party were politely asked a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers.
The…
Carlson has faced criticism in recent years over his commentary on Israel, with critics accusing him of amplifying narratives that are hostile to Israel and, at times, antisemitic. He has also questioned Israel’s treatment of Christian communities in the region.
After Fox News canceled his show in April 2023, he launched his own program, “The Tucker Carlson Show” in 2024.
The show has featured controversial figures, including Darryl Cooper, who has made statements widely condemned as Holocaust denial, and white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes.
In his interview with Fuentes, Carlson labeled Huckabee a “Christian Zionist.”
Carlson has also criticized Huckabee for not doing enough to protect Christian interests in the region. In one video, he said: “Why not go ahead and talk to Christians and find out their side of the story? Why aren’t American Christian leaders like Mike Huckabee or Ted Cruz, people who invoke the Christian Bible to justify what they’re doing, why haven’t they done this?”
Huckabee responded to the video on X, writing: “Instead of talking ABOUT me, why don’t you come talk TO me? You seem to be generating a lot of heat about the Middle East. Why be afraid of the light?”
Carlson accepted the invitation, and their teams coordinated the interview, leading to his brief visit to Israel.
