Meta Signs AI Data Agreements with CNN, Fox News, and Other Publishers to Offer Real-Time News on Meta AI

Meta has signed commercial AI data agreements with multiple major news publishers to provide real-time global, entertainment, and breaking news through Meta AI, its chatbot integrated across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The partnerships, announced December 5, 2025, include CNN, Fox News, Fox Sports, Le Monde Group, People Inc., The Daily Caller, The Washington Examiner, and USA Today. The deals represent a significant shift in how AI companies access news content for training and operating their systems. While many AI firms have faced legal challenges over using copyrighted content without permission, Meta is pursuing formal commercial agreements that compensate publishers for their journalism. Meta AI will use these partnerships to deliver current news updates when users ask about breaking events or recent developments. The chatbot can now provide timely information about sports scores, political developments, and major news events, drawing from a diverse set of news sources spanning the political spectrum. The agreements come as publishers grapple with AI's impact on their business models. While some news organizations have sued AI companies for copyright infringement, others are pursuing licensing deals that generate new revenue while giving AI systems access to high-quality, authoritative information. For Meta, the news partnerships address a key limitation of large language models—their training data has a cutoff date, meaning they cannot provide information about recent events without access to current data sources. Real-time news capabilities make AI chatbots more useful for everyday queries about current events. The publisher lineup reflects Meta's apparent strategy to include diverse political perspectives, partnering with both left-leaning outlets like CNN and right-leaning sources like Fox News and The Daily Caller. This approach may help Meta deflect criticism that its AI systems exhibit political bias. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed, but the deals likely involve both upfront payments and ongoing royalties based on usage. Similar agreements between OpenAI and publishers have ranged from low millions to tens of millions of dollars annually. The news partnerships follow similar deals by OpenAI, which has signed licensing agreements with The Associated Press, Axel Springer, and other publishers. As AI systems become primary interfaces for information access, control over news content is becoming an increasingly valuable asset for publishers.