Google bows to pressure and pays for press content in US

US company “Google” on Friday announced the launch of the “Google News Showcase” service in the United States in an agreement and partnership with more than 150 media companies, which allows local newspaper publishers to highlight their content on “Google News”. And in the “Recommendations” feature. Google”, in the form of small “showcases”.

The company, which owns the largest search platform, announced an agreement with several media houses to pay for content published on the Internet, in addition to training programs, especially for the development of digital applications. The launch of the service has helped calm relations between newspapers and the giant group in many countries around the world, particularly in Europe and Australia, as newspaper publishers continue to accuse Google of using their content on the search engine without paying a fair price.

Google initially wanted News Showcase as an enforcement tool for a new European law on related rights that would require magazine publishers to pay for content used by its search engine. However, the French competition authority took a decisive stance on Google in July 2021, forcing the American group to separate the two issues.

The service launched globally in October 2020, but is not available in the US. According to the giant network, “Google News Choices” will launch in the US during the summer, partnering with more than 150 media outlets, 90% of which are local or regional media, headquartered in 39 of the 50 US states.

The Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg, Reuters and Associated Press are among the most prominent national media outlets covered by this service. Google announced it had reached an undisclosed amount with five companies representing about 1,000 local media outlets across the United States.

Last October, work on the “Google News Selections” service was launched in about twenty countries, especially in Europe.

In concrete terms, the application allows magazine publishers to provide small windows that provide multiple content from their sites, with content directly related to the search, in the results of the “Google News” or “Google Recommendations” feature. by Internet users.

(AFP)