National Media Receives Significant Portion Of Payment From Google To Canadian News outlets
Canada has reached a “historic” agreement with Google, where the tech giant will provide annual Can$100 million (US$75 million) payments to Canada’s news outlets in exchange for the distribution of their content. The federal government says that television and radio outlets will receive a capped payment of 30%, while the CBC/Radio-Canada will receiveseven%. The remaining 63% will go to the written press.
Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge remarked on the new agreement, saying “newsrooms are experiencing a crisis which affects journalism, a foundation of our democracy.” The payment from Google is part of Canada’s Online News Act which aims to help the struggling Canadian news sector.
Meta, the Facebook parent company which is subject to the legislation, still opposes the act, stating that it is “fundamentally flawed.” Since August 1, Facebook and Instagram have blocked news content from within Canada in order to avoid having to compensate media companies.
Google Canada is proud to be a part of the historic decision. This evidence proves that, with the right support, Canada’s news media can stay on their feet. Layoffs in ongoing in the sector, and many outlets are facing heavy financial burden, but with help comes hope.
