{"id":452974,"date":"2025-09-26T14:13:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/452974\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T14:13:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:13:12","slug":"meta-to-offer-ad-free-subscription-to-facebook-instagram-in-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/452974\/","title":{"rendered":"Meta to Offer Ad-Free Subscription to Facebook, Instagram in UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meta<\/a> plans to offer people in the United Kingdom the option to pay to gain an ad-free experience on its social media platforms Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The company will roll out the offering in the coming weeks, offering subscriptions for 2.99 pounds (about $4) per month on the web and 3.99 pounds on iOS and Android, it said in a Friday (Sept. 26) press release<\/a>. Meta said the higher cost for iOS and Android covers fees charged by Apple<\/a> and Google<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meta will continue to offer free access to Facebook and Instagram, with ads, and will still allow these users to control their ad experience with the tools that are currently available, such as Ad Preferences<\/a>, according to the release.<\/p>\n

Meta added the paid, ad-free option after \u201cextensive engagement\u201d with the U.K.\u2019s Information Commissioner\u2019s Office<\/a> and to address the ICO\u2019s regulatory guidance on consent or pay<\/a> business models, per the release.<\/p>\n

\u201cSubscriptions, as an alternative to seeing personalized advertising, is a well-established and economically viable business model spanning many industries, from news publishing and gaming to music and entertainment,\u201d the release said. \u201cHaving discussed with the ICO, Meta will offer Subscription for no ads at a price that is one of the lowest in the market.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a Friday statement<\/a> on the changes to Meta\u2019s advertising model, an ICO spokesperson said the regulator welcomed the company\u2019s shift to this consent or pay model and its move away from targeting Facebook and Instagram users with ads as part of the platforms\u2019 standard terms and conditions, which the regulator said violates U.K. law.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople must be given meaningful transparency and choice about how their information is used,\u201d the ICO\u2019s statement said. \u201cAt the same time, the ICO recognizes that online platforms, like every business, need to operate commercially. There are a number of ways online platforms can do this in compliance with U.K. law and the ICO\u2019s guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meta also offers a consent or pay<\/a> model in the European Union but has been engaged in a continuing battle with the European Commission<\/a> over that model. The commission said the model needs more work to bring it into compliance with the antitrust provisions of the EU\u2019s Digital Markets Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In its Friday press release, Meta said the EU\u2019s approach is different from the \u201cconstructive\u201d one taken by the U.K.\u2019s ICO.<\/p>\n

\u201cEU regulators continue to overreach by requiring us to provide a less personalized ads experience that goes beyond what the law requires, creating a worse experience for users and businesses,\u201d the release said. \u201cIn contrast, the U.K.\u2019s more pro-growth and pro-innovation regulatory environment allows for a clearer choice for users, while ensuring our personalized advertising tools can continue to be engines of growth and productivity for companies up and down the country.\u201d<\/p>\n