Facebook unwrapped a new service for publishers this week called Instant Articles.
According to Facebook, it takes an average of eight seconds to load articles on smartphones through the newsfeed. Instant Articles offers two benefits: first, consumers should see much faster load times when they click on articles; and second, publishers will be able to offer more interactive experiences within their articles, such as tilt-to-pan.
Facebook is hosting select content from nine web sites to start, including The New York Times, National Geographic, BuzzFeed, NBC, The Atlantic, The Guardian, BBC News, Spiegel and Bild.
“Fundamentally, this is a tool that enables publishers to provide a better experience for their readers on Facebook,” said Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox. “Instant Articles lets them deliver fast, interactive articles while maintaining control of their content and business models.”
Facebook hopes to add content from more publishers over time. Facebook said Instant Articles will be available via the iPhone Facebook app first, with others to follow.
