Google’s News Showcase, a program in which the search giant pays to compile news content from publishers, has been launched in the United Kingdom and Argentina. In the United Kingdom, the service covers more than 120 publications, while 40 have entered Argentine publications. For readers, the service includes the ability to access free paid wall content. News Showcase was launched last year in Germany and Brazil and last week in Australia and now contains content from more than 450 publications worldwide.
In the United Kingdom, publications available through the service include Reuters, the Financial Times, The Independent, the New statesman, en The Telegraph, while Argentine publications include Clarín, La Nación, en Profile. In a frequently asked question from Google, it is noted that publishers pay a monthly fee for compiling news reports for the service, as well as for accessing the content of payment walls.
News Showcase is available in the Google News app on iOS, Android and mobile web, as well as Discover on iOS. On certain Android phones, such as Google Pixel devices, Discover is available by swiping left on the home screen. The interface contains lists of articles from each publication, which you can tap to read in full.
More than 120 publications in the UK are starting to compile the content of News Showcase, many of which are local newspapers that do not have the same resources as many larger, national newspapers need to invest in their digital transformation. 2 / https://t.co/CV3mFa2QUK pic.twitter.com/buDHqtiA9N
– Google News Initiative (@GoogleNewsInit) 10 February 2021
Last week, Google News Showcase was launched in Australia, a country where the company is currently joining forces with lawmakers over new rules that could force news publishers to pay for their content. Google recently threatened to pull its search engine out of the country if the News Media Bargaining Code goes into effect. Last week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had ‘constructive’ talks with Google CEO Sundar Pichai on the new rules.
The situation means that although seven Australian publishers have joined the program, which covers more than 25 publications, The guardian reports that one outlet, Nine, chose not to negotiate with Google until the new code was introduced. In a frequently asked question, Google says it believes News Showcase should be compatible with the new rules, as publishers are free to arbitrate if they dislike Google’s News Showcase agreement.
Facebook has a similar news initiative that involves paying publishers to license their content in the form of the News tab, a section of the service that contains a mix of composite and personalized news reports. Following its launch in the US, the magazine recently arrived in the UK. Similar to Google News Showcase, the service involves Facebook paying certain publishers to license content, including some that are usually paywalls.
In addition to the UK and Argentina, Google says it is also ready to launch News Showcase in France, Canada and Japan.