Google’s News Showcase, a program in which the search giant pays to curate news content from publishers, has launched in the UK and Argentina. In the UK, the service comprises more than 120 publications, while 40 Argentinian publications have registered. For readers, the service includes the ability to access selected content with a paywall for free. News Showcase was launched last year in Germany and Brazil, and last week in Australia, and now features content from more than 450 publications worldwide.
In the UK include publications available through the service Reuters, the Financial times, The independent, the New statesman, and The Telegraph, while Argentine publications include Clarion, The nation, and Profile. A Google FAQ notes that publishers get a monthly fee to compile news stories for the service, as well as access paywall content.
News Showcase is available in the Google News app on iOS, Android, and mobile web, as well as Discover on iOS. On some Android phones, such as Google Pixel devices, Discover is available by swiping left on the home screen. The interface shows lists of articles from each publication, which you can tap to read in full.
More than 120 UK publications will be compiling content for News Showcase, many of which are local newspapers that lack the resources that much larger, national newspapers need to invest in their digital transformation. 2 / https://t.co/CV3mFa2QUK pic.twitter.com/buDHqtiA9N
– Google News Initiative (@GoogleNewsInit) February 10, 2021
Last week, the Google News Showcase launched in Australia, a country where the company is currently holding the horns of lawmakers over new rules that could force it to pay news outlets for their content. Google recently threatened to take 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 about the new rules.
The situation means that although seven Australian publishers have joined the program, which includes more than 25 publications, The Guardian reports that one retail outlet, Nine, chose not to negotiate with Google until the new code was entered. In a FAQ, Google says it believes News Showcase should be compliant with the new rules as publishers are free to arbitrate if they don’t like Google’s News Showcase deal.
Facebook has a similar news initiative where publishers are paid to get licenses for their content in the form of the News tab, a part of the service that includes a mix of curated and personalized news stories. After launching in the US, the tab has recently arrived in the UK. As with Google News Showcase, the service involves Facebook paying selected publishers to buy licenses for content, including some that would normally be paid.
Outside of the UK and Argentina, Google says it is also ready to launch News Showcase in France, Canada and Japan.