Australia’s government said digital giants like Google and Facebook are nearing agreements to strike “significant commercial deals” to pay domestic media companies for news, in a partnership announced Monday. It is thus the first time in history that would force the digital giants to finance journalism, a minister said. Read the article to know more.
Australian government ministers had discussions with media executives, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google and jointly announced they had agreed on a “long-term partnership”.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, one of ministers responsible for the legislation, said: “We’ve made real progress, I think, in the last 48 to 72 hours and I think we’re going to see some significant commercial deals which could be of real benefit to the domestic media landscape and see journalists rewarded financially for generating original content, as it should be, and this is a world-leading reform. No other country has stepped in like we have. It’s been a difficult process. It’s still ongoing, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But the discussions to date have been very promising indeed.”
Kerry Stokes, chairman of Seven West Media, which owns 21 publications, thanked the Australian government for the new laws, saying, “Their outstanding leadership on the implementation of the proposed news media bargaining code has resulted in us being able to conclude negotiations that result in fair payment and ensure our digital future. The negotiations with Google recognize the value of quality and original journalism throughout the country and, in particular, in regional areas.”
Google regional director Mel Silva said: “We are proud to support original, trusted, and quality journalism and are excited to welcome Seven West Media today as a major Australian publishing partner to join Google News Showcase.”
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