5 Middle Eastern Publishers Join The Facebook Reader Revenue Accelerator

Facebook today announced that five news organizations from Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates have been selected to join a nine-month Reader Revenue Facebook Accelerator Program beginning in October. 

A robust training program built specifically to equip newsroom staff with the skills, tools, and resources they need to build sustainable businesses, the Facebook Accelerator Program has trained staff from more than 200 publishers from around the globe. Participants who have completed the program report generating more than $60 million* in customer value from 200K+ new paying subscribers and more than 2M new registered readers, an indication that the right support can help organizations take strong steps toward business sustainability. 

The news organisations taking part in the program from the MENA region include Annahar News (Lebanon), Gulf News (UAE), Majarra (UAE), Khaleej Times (UAE), and L’Orient-Le Jour (Lebanon).

Mohamed Omar, News Partnerships Manager, Middle East and North Africa at Facebook said: “We are incredibly proud to be partnering with such distinguished news organizations across the Middle East and North Africa, working together to ensure both the adaptability and sustainability of regional media. This program is so much more than a traditional partnership – it is based on a mutual desire to embed structure and processes that will allow critical journalism to continue to grow, while embedding a future-proof business model.”

The program’s training is led by Blue Engine Collaborative, a consortium of mission-driven consultants and advisors focused on driving digital audience growth and revenue. Led by CEO Tim Griggs, the Blue Engine team coaches all of the Accelerator’s reader revenue programs. 

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with such a dynamic group of publishers across the region who want to build and accelerate their digital reader revenue ambitions,” Griggs said. “Nothing could be more important to us than helping teams grow revenue to support the critical mission of journalism in these markets.”

During the intensive portion of the program, participating publishers will work alongside peers at news organizations in other Accelerator programs in Spain and Central-Eastern Europe, allowing news organizations to learn from the experience of a wide array of news organizations. 

Program participants from the Middle East will receive grants totalling $250,000 from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

“We’re thrilled to partner with these newsrooms, as they work to transform their business strategies despite the challenges,” said Johanna Carrillo, ICFJ’s vice president of programs. “Initiatives like this that help independent news outlets thrive are essential and urgent, and a core pillar of the work we do at ICFJ.”

Over the course of the nine-month virtual training program, participants will engage in learning sessions built on the following four-pillars:

1. Virtual workshops where participants listen to experts and participate in hands-on exercises.
   
2. Weekly calls with a dedicated, world-class expert coach.
   
3. Grant funding to execute projects using lessons learned.
   
4. A community of shared practice in which people work together to support one another’s progress. 

To know more about the program, visit the website here: https://www.facebook.com/journalismproject/programs/accelerator