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BUSINESS

Google strikes content payment deals

By Duncan Mil

February 18, 2021 - Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp reached a landmark three-year global deal with Google that it said would bring “significant” licensing payments for content used on Google’s “News Showcase.”

Alphabet-owned Google’s agreement is the latest for the 89-year-old media mogul, his son Lachlan and News Corp Chief Executive Robert Thomson. Previously News Corp had agreed to compensation deals for premium content from Apple and Facebook for their Apple News and Facebook News products.

Earlier this week, Australia’s two largest free-to-air television broadcasters struck deals with Google collectively worth A$60 million ($47 million) a year.

The agreements come days before the Canberra government plans to pass laws that would allow it to appoint an arbitrator to set fees for content used by tech giants Google, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Facebook has responded by blocking Australian users from sharing or viewing news. The social media giant said the proposed law “fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers.”

Facebook imposed the ban with immediate effect, with users reporting that they could not see news articles on the platform.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said his government will not be intimidated by Facebook blocking news feeds to users. He described the move to “unfriend Australia” as arrogant and disappointing.

Faced with a similar European Union copyright directive, Google struck a three-year $76 million deal with Alliance de la presse d’information générale in France. APIG’s 121 publications will receive an average of $209,300 a year. Google has agreed to similar arrangements in Germany, Brazil and Argentina.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 18/02/2021; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press
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