Google has a $ 1 billion plan to pay publishers for content that appears in a cross-service “News Showcase” product. This is the company’s preferred route to support journalism, and comes amid a dispute with Australia over the requirement to essentially “pay for links” The Google News Showcase was surprisingly announced for Australia.
On Friday morning in Australia, Google said it was “launching an initial version of the product to benefit users and publishers in Australia”. It is focusing specifically on “leading independent and regional publishers”.
The Canberra Times, The Illawarra Mercury, The Saturday Paper, Crikey, The New Daily, InDaily and The Conversation
The News Showcase is made up of sliding cards called “story panels”, which can present timelines, bookmarks and article lists, with plans to add video and audio in the future. Each one displays the editor’s mark in the upper left corner and directly opens a corresponding article. They will be available on Google News for Android, iOS and the mobile web, as well as Discover on iOS.
This launch takes place in the context of an ongoing dispute between Google and the Australian government over the “News media trading code”. Australia was expected to be one of the first countries to receive the News Showcase, but those plans have changed amid uncertainty. This product is Google’s preferred alternative to the future law.
Now, Google seems to have changed course or is trying to encourage publications on its side. The company said today that it is “looking forward to bringing more Australian media partners on board in the coming weeks and months”.
Participating News Showcase editors receive a set monthly fee for curating their articles for News Showcase and, in some cases, for providing access to the articles behind their paid access, so that readers can see the value of becoming subscribers and publishers can build a relationship with readers.
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