Although Google has said that the company does not object to the idea of a new media bargaining code, Google disagrees with the new media bargaining code that has been proposed. Several people might be following developments around the News Media Bargaining Code and what it means for Google’s products and services. On Monday, the company published a blog post to answer some fundamental questions about the relationship between Google and the news media industry.
In the blog post, the company wrote that it does not object to there being an Australian Code to oversee the relationships of digital platforms with news businesses. The company wrote that Google has already made arrangements to pay publishers via a licensing program. Moreover, many publishers from Australia have come on board, however, the company wrote in the blog post that it does not agree with a law that is not workable from a business perspective.
The company went to explain how Google currently supports the news industry, and it does not use or steal news content. In the blog post, the tech giant wrote that Google links users to stories, just like the company links them to every other webpage, personal blogs, Wikipedia, or other websites such as business sites. The search giant added that some major publishers have ‘inaccurately’ accused it of stealing content. The company states Google Search connects users with news content in the same way it connects them to their footy team’s home page or an official government site.
The search giant also wrote that it recognizes the role of news content in educating and informing Australians, however, the news content represents a small percentage of sites that users choose to visit from Google Search results. According to the company, the news content is not financially lucrative for Google. Only a small proportion of Search queries were related to news content last year, and the company generated nearly AU$10 million in revenue from news-related content.
Most of Google’s revenue comes from Search queries related to highly commercial topics such as if you search for ‘running shoes’ on Google Search and then click on an advertisement. Google said that it supports the news industry of Australia, and has helped publishers in making money by providing tools that help publishers to sell ads on their websites.
The tech giant also pointed out that Google is not the one to blame for decline in newspaper revenue. Google cited a report published by AlphaBeta which indicates that the loss of newspaper revenue in Australia was mainly because of loss of classified ads to online classified businesses like Carsales.
Read next: Google Is Developing A Feature For Maps That Would Overlay Areas With The Coronavirus Outbreak Information
In the blog post, the company wrote that it does not object to there being an Australian Code to oversee the relationships of digital platforms with news businesses. The company wrote that Google has already made arrangements to pay publishers via a licensing program. Moreover, many publishers from Australia have come on board, however, the company wrote in the blog post that it does not agree with a law that is not workable from a business perspective.
The company went to explain how Google currently supports the news industry, and it does not use or steal news content. In the blog post, the tech giant wrote that Google links users to stories, just like the company links them to every other webpage, personal blogs, Wikipedia, or other websites such as business sites. The search giant added that some major publishers have ‘inaccurately’ accused it of stealing content. The company states Google Search connects users with news content in the same way it connects them to their footy team’s home page or an official government site.
The search giant also wrote that it recognizes the role of news content in educating and informing Australians, however, the news content represents a small percentage of sites that users choose to visit from Google Search results. According to the company, the news content is not financially lucrative for Google. Only a small proportion of Search queries were related to news content last year, and the company generated nearly AU$10 million in revenue from news-related content.
Most of Google’s revenue comes from Search queries related to highly commercial topics such as if you search for ‘running shoes’ on Google Search and then click on an advertisement. Google said that it supports the news industry of Australia, and has helped publishers in making money by providing tools that help publishers to sell ads on their websites.
The tech giant also pointed out that Google is not the one to blame for decline in newspaper revenue. Google cited a report published by AlphaBeta which indicates that the loss of newspaper revenue in Australia was mainly because of loss of classified ads to online classified businesses like Carsales.
Read next: Google Is Developing A Feature For Maps That Would Overlay Areas With The Coronavirus Outbreak Information
