As the Competition Bureau continues to investigate Google’s advertising practices in Canada, the tech company has announced it is moving forward with its News Showcase and other news partnerships across the country.
The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that seeks to ensure the prosperity of Canadian businesses and consumers in a competitive and innovative marketplace.
READ MORE: Competition watchdog probes Google’s advertising practices
Google News Showcase pays publishers money directly for their content. According to Google, “News Showcase partners receive a monthly retention fee for their articles.”
Google says the fees paid to publishers will support newsrooms and journalism.
Its new partners are the information co-ops, Le Devoir and Torstar. The latter is a capital partner of Mainstreet Research and together they own iPolitics.
In June, Google announced deals with other outlets, including the Globe and Mail, Glacier Media, and the Winnipeg Free Press.
Google would not confirm whether it is working on similar deals with broadcast media to distribute topical content.
A Google spokesperson said that outlets that place content behind paid walls, such as iPolitics, will be able to push some of their content to Google News Showcase to encourage more readers to subscribe to their sites. Publishers can decide which content is free.
“Quality, verified journalism is a critical way to connect and educate people, and a crucial tool against disinformation,” Jordan Bitove, publisher and co-owner of the Toronto Star, said in a statement on the Google announcement. .
“It’s an investment (in) the future of our newsrooms, our premium journalism and the future of news. “
In addition to News Showcase, Google plans to train 5,000 journalists across the country over the next three years.
During the last parliamentary session, the federal government attempted to pass a bill to modernize the Broadcasting Act, so that the playing field was level for media companies in Canada who are forced to compete with the giants. of technology for advertising dollars.
In the April budget, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced her government would implement a 3% digital services tax (DST) on big tech, including Google, in January.
Earlier this month, the government announced that it would delay the DST until January 1, 2024, if the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (of which Canada is a member) did not include its own tax on large technology companies. which operate in its member countries.
READ MORE: Canada Supports 15% Global Big Tech Tax
New Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez told reporters after the cabinet swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday that once Parliament returned he would introduce new legislation to update the Broadcasting Act, forcing the big giants of technology to pay for Canadian content.
More iPolitics
“Amateur web enthusiast. Award-winning creator. Extreme music expert. Wannabe analyst. Organizer. Hipster-friendly tv scholar. Twitter guru.”