Facebook shuts down its Bulletin newsletter service

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Updated 05 October 2022
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Facebook shuts down its Bulletin newsletter service

  • Parent company Meta said that the platform, which was designed to be its response to Substack, will close early in 2023
  • It gave independent creators the chance to publish directly to their audience and get paid for their work through subscriptions

LONDON: Facebook has announced it is shutting down its Bulletin newsletter service as it seeks to shift resources to other projects.

Described by Facebook’s parent company Meta as “a project that is directly for journalists and individual writers,” the service aimed to offer new ways for writers and readers to connect.

“Bulletin has allowed us to learn about the relationship between creators and their audiences and how to better support them in building their community on Facebook,” the company said on Tuesday.

“While this off-platform product itself is ending, we remain committed to supporting these and other creators’ success and growth on our platform.”

Bulletin was launched in June 2021 as Meta’s response to Substack, a popular newsletter platform on which independent writers, podcasters and other creators can publish directly to their audiences and get paid for their work through subscriptions.

Bulletin was launched with a group of well-known users, including Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell, public health expert James Hamblin, and Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, in an attempt to build an audience for the platform.

Meta also signed a number of up-and-coming writers and pledged $5 million to support local news reporters, along with providing a host of publishing and subscription tools for creators.

Sources close to the decision said that Meta has contacted the 120 creators that are part of the program to tell them that Bulletin will close early next year. The company will honor all contracts in full, some of which are not due to end until 2024. Creators will also be allowed to keep their subscription revenue and take subscriber lists and content with them when Bulletin is wound down.

Speculation about the possible closure of Bulletin began to circulate early in the summer amid the company’s stalled growth and a fall in revenue.

Last month, some media sources reported that Facebook executives had told staff the company was reorganizing budgets and would be focusing its resources on creator economy projects.


Asharq Business with Bloomberg, Nasdaq to bring real-time US equities data to MENA

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Asharq Business with Bloomberg, Nasdaq to bring real-time US equities data to MENA

  • Nasdaq to deliver exclusive real-time US equities market data
  • Real-time updates fully integrated into Asharq Business’ data infrastructure and available across all platforms

RIYADH: Asharq Business with Bloomberg, the region’s leading business and financial news multi-platform channel, announced Tuesday a strategic three-year collaboration with Nasdaq, to deliver exclusive real-time US equities market data and updates to investors and decision-makers across the Middle East. 

Through access to Nasdaq’s official data product, Nasdaq Last Sale (NLS), Asharq Business with Bloomberg will receive real-time last-sale trade updates and calculated insights across major US exchanges directly from the Nasdaq Market Center. The collaboration strengthens market transparency, enhances data-driven storytelling, and provides audiences and partners with deeper insight into global financial activity. 

With a rapidly growing investor base in the region — and with Nasdaq serving as a primary destination for many Arab and regional investors — Asharq Business with Bloomberg reinforces its mission to deliver timely, accurate, and exclusive financial updates by integrating NLS data into its digital platforms, live markets coverage, and broader data ecosystem. 

Leveraging its partnership with Bloomberg Media — which grants access to reporting from over 2,700 journalists and analysts worldwide — Asharq Business with Bloomberg continues to build on its reputation as the region’s most trusted and credible multi-platform business news source. The collaboration with Nasdaq underscores its commitment to providing reliable, data-backed content across social, digital, and streaming platforms, available for audiences anytime and anywhere. 

Dr Nabeel Al Khatib, General Manager of Asharq News Network, commented: “It has been five years since the inception of Asharq Business with Bloomberg, and our audience has always been at the center of everything we do. We invest time and effort to understand what matters to them, ensuring we deliver data and stories that genuinely support informed decision-making. With growing regional interest in global markets, our collaboration with Nasdaq marks a strategic step toward offering a clearer, more comprehensive view of international financial activity. Through Nasdaq Last Sale, we aim to further empower our audience with transparent, real-time insights, strengthening their ability to navigate an increasingly interconnected global investment landscape.” 

The Nasdaq leadership team added: “We are pleased to collaborate with Asharq Business with Bloomberg to broaden access to high-quality US market data in the Middle East. Through Nasdaq Last Sale, we aim to enhance transparency, support informed decision-making, and contribute to a more connected global investor community.”