Facebook FB recently launched a feature called paid online events that enables businesses, creators, educators and media publishers to set up paid events or classes online and keep 100% revenues — except on Apple’s AAPL iOS, where event hosts must give up the 30% App-Store tax.

Paid online events are currently free of charge from Facebook and have already been organized during tests with early users that included talks, trivia events, podcast recordings, boxing matches, cooking classes, meet-and-greets and fitness classes.

The goal is to help small businesses and those in the entertainment and live event space to start earning money again, following the economic effects of coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent closure of music venues, event spaces, and other venues for public gatherings.

A few months ago, the company announced $100 million in cash grants and ad credits for small and medium businesses. It later introduced Facebook Shops to help them sell products online.

Paid Online Events: A Valuable Proposition for Small Businesses

Facebook attempts to give business owners the ability to create the event, set the price, promote the event, collect the payment and host large events through Facebook Live all from one platform.

Marketers can create the event, promote it to their organic followers or through Facebook ads. Event creators will also need to comply with the company’s partner monetization policies and other requirements.

Paid online events are currently available to eligible Facebook Pages in the following countries– Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the U.K. and the United States.

According to Facebook, in June 2020, live broadcasts from Pages doubled from the year-ago period. For paid online events, event hosts will receive payouts once per month after they cross a minimum balance of $100.

Meanwhile, the social-media giant is also testing user ability to host smaller, more interactive gatherings in Messenger Rooms. Additionally, the company will soon provide brands and creators the ability to tag products from their Facebook Shop or catalog before going live and those products will be shown at the bottom of the video so people can easily tap to learn more and purchase. Paid events are not integrated with Facebook Shops as yet.

Facebook’s Growing Spat With Apple

This is the latest blow by Facebook in a long-running spat between the social media company and Apple. Apple’s App Store is the only way to install software on iPhones and it will keep 30% of the revenues for payments submitted by Facebook users through Apple’s iOS app.

Meanwhile, Facebook has promised to not collect any fees for paid online events for at least the next year. Moreover, for transactions on the web, and on Android in countries where the social company has rolled out Facebook Pay, businesses and creators will keep 100% of the revenues they generate from paid online events.

Unlike Apple, Alphabet’s GOOGL Google will not take a cut of sales through its Android service. Facebook will make it clear to users in the iOS version of its app that Apple is taking a cut of their sales.

Moreover, last month, Facebook warned investors that its revenues could be impacted by an upcoming feature in Apple’s iOS 14 that could make it more difficult for the social media company to target ads.

With the update to its mobile devices, Apple will ask users if they want to let app developers track their activity across other apps and websites.

Last week, Microsoft MSFT and Facebook lashed out at Apple for restrictive App Store policies, which prevents them from launching gaming services on iPhones and other Apple devices.

While Facebook finally managed to launch an iOS version of its gaming app, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company was forced to make a concession to bring it to the App Store as it had to remove the ability to play games instantly.

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