?Facebook has enough shelf space on an end users? device, to effectively cross-link ? or cross launch ? so that the user stays within the Facebook app ecosystem,? said Scott Michaels, vice president of client engagement at ArcTouch.

?The cross launching is important, as it drives the use of the app, and therefore the total number of ad views that will be expended,? he said. ?Apple also has this from the OS, where the articles for the News app appear from the Today view on the phone itself.

?In the question of whom is the winner, the answer is more about whom can continue to have the user within their ecosystem or halo of apps, to gain the most time, page views and ad views, as well as the loyalty of the end user - which is the key to overall revenue even if a single product in the app halo is not a primary revenue driver.?

At first glance, it may seem surprising that reports say Facebook will launch Notify as a standalone app given that its Paper news app never made much of an impact. 

The more recent introduction of Instant Articles borrows heavily from Paper, but content is loaded directly into the Facebook news feed. 

It is this kind of seamless experience that consumers want. Nobody likes having to switch between apps and would prefer to get all of the content they want ? from friends and news sources ? all in one place. 

Facebook could try to deliver something similar with Notify by using cross-linking, which has been around for a while but has only really become a seamless experience in the most recent versions of mobile operating systems, per Mr. Michaels. 

?In Facebook or Instant Articles, it could be linked to the Notify app, where it would load,? Mr. Michaels aid. ?The end user is then in the Notify app, without ever really noticing they switched applications.

?The end user only experiences a brief context switch and never leaves the ecosystem of applications.?

With signs that Facebook?s users are less engaged with the platform, a focus on breaking news is a great way to bring users back more often.  

For example, Notify is likely to use push notifications to alert users when news related to an area of interest has broken. 

?The news cycle today moves at the speed of mobile,? said Andy Amendola, director of digital strategy at The Community, a part of SapientNitro. ?When the first thing you reach for in the morning is your phone, you bet Facebook wants to be the first thing you see there. 

?As far as advertising, mobile already makes up over three quarters of Facebook?s ad revenue, so why stop at reaching people who are already using their platform?,? he said. ?With Notify, now Facebook can push notifications when consumers are not paying attention. 

?There is nothing subtle about this move ? it?s clearly to take over consumers? screen time and strengthen Facebook?s position in the media landscape.?

While Facebook?s significant breadth and the existence of Instant Articles ? which is more focused on feature articles while Notify will focus on breaking news ? is a significant advantage for Notify, other heavyweights are chasing this same space. 

Apple is preloading the News app onto all iOS devices, which gives it significant distribution and could be a powerful advantage. 

Google has a big enough presence on a mobile device with its other applications that they can cross promote the download and use of the Google News app. Facebook matches Google?s ability here to promote Notify to its users. 

Twitter also wants a role with Moments as does Snapchat with Discover. 

Publishers have been quick to embrace multiple options in a reflection of their struggles to attract mobile views as more news consumption moves to these devices. For example, Facebook has reportedly already partnered with BBC, New York Times and NBC for Notify. 

While all may not survive, the mobile universe is big enough to support more than one news source. 

?In the end, just as there is room for multiple Web-based news sources, I think that yes, consumers will flock to the platforms that they are already most comfortable with, so this is definitely an example of Facebook playing to its reach and trying to supplant Google, Apple and Twitter as the go-to source for breaking news,? said Jeff Anulewicz, executive director of strategy at MXM. ?