ACCC’s Rod Sims says Facebook needs time for news payment deals

The country’s competition tsar, Rod Sims, has said he is happy to give Facebook more time to cement “pretty hectic” and “rugged” deals with news businesses, amid reports the social media platform has been stalling or not negotiating in good faith.

Presenting to senators at Friday’s media diversity inquiry hearing, the chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) noted that while the news media bargaining code has “improve[d] the bargaining power of the news media businesses”, that “doesn’t mean that Facebook will just agree to whatever that the news media business wants”.

Sims presenting at the inquiry