Facebook is often used interchangeably with platform domination but, states Digiday, “some publishers are shifting their attention beyond Facebook. In interviews, several revealed they’re either spending less time on Facebook either in absolute or relative to time they’re spending on other platforms.

“Facebook is still a big source of referral traffic for publishers overall. But it has declined as a referral source relative to Google and left publishers frustrated with lagging monetization opportunities in key areas like video. Meanwhile, other platforms have stepped up, offering publishers more attention (Google and Apple News), financial rewards (Snapchat) and a growing audience and better user experience (Instagram).

“Nick Ascheim, svp of NBC News Digital, said NBC News’ social team hasn’t changed in size; it’s about 15 across NBC News, MSNBC and Today, not including 30 who are dedicated to its Snapchat news show, “Stay Tuned.” But its focus has changed along with the company’s platform priorities. “They’re not frantically publishing everything on every platform. It’s much more selective,” he said.

“The biggest change is that they publish fewer articles and videos to Facebook, and when they do, they favor posting links that drive audiences back to the site. They’re paying more attention to referrals and share more metrics than before, too, because referral traffic can be monetized directly, and shares are a strong indication of engagement.

“Similarly, CNN’s platform distribution team is de-emphasizing Facebook while increasing its focus on Apple News — Apple’s news aggregation app that’s baked into its mobile devices — and Snapchat, said Andrew Morse, evp at CNN, who oversees its digital editorial efforts.”