Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms in the world, raking in 2.91 billion users monthly. In fact, 31% of Americans get their daily news from Facebook. But what about the rest of the world?
In 2021, Reuter’s Digital News Report showed that our European neighbors were increasingly active online, with 69% of Germans, 76% of Italians, and 78% of Spaniards sourcing their news from the web and social media. Public engagement on Facebook can be fickle, so we decided to look at which sites have found continued success with their Pages in these countries and if their usage is enough to keep Facebook in the game as a top competitor when it comes to educating the populace on the world’s happenings.
Germany’s top Facebook Pages
In 2022, Promiflash, Bild, and DerSpiegel have the most page likes. This is different from our findings in Germany over 5 years ago, as only Bild has withstood the test of time and stayed among the most relevant. Interestingly enough, Promiflash has taken over the top spot in terms of page likes with 3.6M likes. Focusing on celebrity gossip, the relatively new media company has overtaken more traditional news sites like NTV and Welt. Following A-C listers has become a popular trend over the past decade, so it’s no surprise Promiflash have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the digital news landscape.
Though Promiflash came out on top, sites like Bild, DerSpiegel, and RTL have more of a lasting impact on German Facebook users. They all have over 5M total interactions each this year, beating out all other sites individually.
Spain’s top Facebook Pages
39% of Spanish residents use Facebook as a news source, and their top sites in 2022 have proved their popularity with their engagement levels. ActualidadRT, a site that showcases world and national news, viral videos, and television specials, topped the charts with most followers with 16.7M. PlayGroundMag narrowly missed the top spot with 16M page likes respectfully.
In terms of total interactions, Marca pummeled the competition. With 22.3M interactions, the national daily sport newspaper is a favorite among the Spanish people, with many going straight to Facebook to check their breaking news updates when it comes to (primarily) soccer. Defensa Central also performed well, with 12.1M interactions this year. The sporting newspaper is known as “the voice of Real Madrid,” with their entire catalogue being dedicated to the European Champions. They post daily updates, podcasts, and live streams during games that fans obviously interact heavily with.
Italy
Of all three countries, Italy has stayed most consistent with their preferred Facebook pages. La Repubblica, which has topped the charts for five straight years now, continues its reign with 4M page likes and over 19.8M interactions so far in 2022. Il Fatto Quotidiano, though wildly popular among Italian Facebookers, still was a ways back from La Repubblica with 2.3M page likes and 10.7M total interactions. Both of these sites focus on global and national news, from political happenings to op-eds.
La Stampa, Il Giornale, and Mediaset rounded out the rest of the websites, still putting up relatively impressive numbers considering their competition. With 6M, 2.6M, and 2.1 M interactions this year, these sites are solid options in the Italian news sphere.
As a result of this research we can see that Facebook has proven to be one of the largest news sources in not only the US, but the world. They have dominated in Europe, and no matter how their numbers fluctuate, they will continue to be favored as a reliable outlet around the globe.
To read more about the top content on Facebook, check out our May Facebook publisher rankings.
