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- Within a matter of weeks, Google could launch its own news platform in Australia, according to a media outlet contracted to provide articles for the venture
- Known as News Showcase, the platform is the tech giant’s latest pushback against proposed legislation by the Australian government
- The laws aim to make the company, as well as fellow behemoth Facebook, pay local publishers for content that appears on their sites
- Misha Ketchell, editor of The Conversation, said he was approached by Google “to resume discussions about launching the News Showcase product as soon as possible, potentially in February”
- The launch was originally floated in June last year, but was then delayed after a draft copy of the proposed media bargaining code was published
Within a matter of weeks, Google could launch its own news platform in Australia, according to a media outlet contracted to provide articles for the venture.
The platform, known as News Showcase, could be unveiled as early as next month and is the tech giant’s latest pushback against proposed legislation by the Australian government to make the company pay local publishers for content that appears on its site.
“This is a huge reform, this is a world first, and the world is watching what happens here in Australia,” Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told reporters in December.
“Our legislation will help ensure that the rules of the digital world mirror the rules of the physical world … and ultimately sustain our media landscape,” he added.
The move came as part of a growing effort to protect independent journalism, and has been firmly opposed by the likes of Google and fellow behemoth Facebook.
Misha Ketchell, editor of The Conversation, said on Wednesday he was approached by Google “to resume discussions about launching the News Showcase product as soon as possible, potentially in February.”
The launch of News Showcase in Australia had been floated by Google back in June last year, and deals had been signed with six local media outlets, including The Conversation, to provide content.
Citing regulatory conditions, the launch was then delayed after Australia’s competition regulator published a draft copy of the proposed media bargaining code.
With the decision to now go ahead with the launch, Google has shown its openness to striking its own content deals, thereby eliminating the need for government-implemented legislation.
Just last week, Mel Silva, Chief Executive of Google Australia, said at a parliamentary hearing that the company would pull its widely-used search tool from Australia if the laws went ahead, arguing that they were unworkable.
“If Google can demonstrate that it can reach agreements with some publishers then its aim is to show that that commercial arrangements can be made in the absence of some kind of legislative intervention,” said Derek Wilding, a professor at the University of Technology Sydney’s Centre for Media Transition.
“The question is whether those arrangements are suitable for all publishers. The kind of arrangements that Google can propose will suit some publishers, but not others.”
