Google to pay select publishers for 'high quality' news content

Google has announced a new licensing programme to pay publishers for high-quality content.

To begin with, Google has signed partnerships with Spiegel Group in Germany, Schwartz media in Australia, and Diarios Associados in Brazil.

This programme will help participating publishers monetize their content through an enhanced storytelling experience. "Google will also offer to pay for free access for users to read paywalled articles on a publisher's site," the statement said.

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The programme comes amid growing calls for internet tech titans to pay for content.

“We have been actively working with our publisher partners on this new product which will launch first on Google News and Discover. We are currently engaged in discussions with many more partners and plan to sign more in the coming months,” Google said in its blog post.

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The initiative would build on the 2018 Google News Initiative, a $300 million project that aimed to tackle disinformation online and help news sites grow financially.

(With inputs from agencies)