Australia’s Seven West Media became the country’s first major news outlet to strike a deal with Google to pay for journalism in a partnership announced Monday before the nation’s Parliament considers draft laws to force digital giants to pay for news.
Seven West Media, a publicly listed broadcast television, print, and online publishing company, owns 21 publications in Australia.
Google and Seven West Media collectively declared they had consented to a “long-term partnership” following the discussions that Australian government ministers had with media executives; Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and Sundar Pichai, who is the chief executive of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary company ‘Google’.
Seven West Media chairman, Kerry Stokes appreciated the government and the Australian competition regulator (ACCC) for their proposed law that the Parliament will observe on Tuesday.
In a statement, Stokes stated that
Their outstanding leadership on the implementation of the proposed news media bargaining code has resulted in them being able to conclude agreements that result in fair payment and secure our digital future.
The discussions with Google realize the importance of quality and original journalism all across the country and, especially in the regional areas
The agreement was struck under Google’s individual model, News Showcase. Since the launch of News Showcase in October, Google has transferred pay deals with over 450 publications worldwide.
Two weeks ago Google declared that it had started paying seven small Australian websites that come under News Showcase.
Google regional director Mel Silva said that they are pleased to support innovative, reliable, and quality journalism. She additionally stated that they are delighted to welcome Seven West Media today as the major Australian publishing partner to join Google News Showcase.
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