Meta Platforms (META) -) shares edged lower in early Tuesday trading following multiple media reports that the social media giant it considering adding an ad-free paywall to its two biggest platforms in Europe.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta, which was fined €390 million ($409 million) last year by officials in Ireland over its targeted ad policies, is considering whether to offer a free version of its Facebook and Instagram platforms with personalized ads, or a paid version that its ad-free.
The Journal report suggested Meta could charge as much as €19 per month for users to have ad free accounts on both mobile and desktop, with the base price of an ad-free desktop Facebook account priced at €10 per month.
The New York Times also reported on the roll-out of an ad-free service late last week.
Meta has around 307 million daily active users of its Facebook social media platform in Europe, based on the group's second quarter data, with around 409 million users active on the platform on a monthly basis.
Earlier this summer, Meta forecast third quarter revenues in the region of $32 billion to $32.5 billion, and said second quarter ad impressions, while up 34%, drew a 16% decline in price as companies pulled back on marketing spending amid signs of a global economic downturn.
Meta shares were marked 0..6% lower in early Tuesday trading, hit hard by the rise in Treasury bond yields, to change hands at $305.20 each.
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