Google announced on Monday measures to help generate fresh revenue for news media harmed by the move from print to digital, limiting content without payment and ending the old "free first click" policy.
The move comes amid growing criticism that online platforms are getting the most revenue, as more readers turn to them for news.
"I truly believe that Google and news publishers share a common cause," said US Internet giant Philipp Schindler.
"Our users truly value high quality journalism," he added.
Google has announced a series of measures, the most significant replacing the existing policy for a decade to ask news companies to provide an article discovered in a news search without a subscription, a pattern known as the "first click free."
This will be replaced by a "flexible sampling" model that will allow publishers to require a subscription if they wish at any time.
"We understand that one size does not fit everyone," said Google's vice president of news, Richard Gingras.
This will allow news companies to decide whether to show articles for free or implement a form of payment for part or all of the content.
Gingras said the new policy, which comes into force this Monday, will apply worldwide, though he admitted that it was not clear how many publishers would immediately implement payment systems.
"The reaction to our efforts has been positive," he said in a conference call to announce the new policy.
"This is not a silver bullet for the subscriptions market. It is a very competitive market of information. And people buy subscriptions when they have a perception of value, "he added.
Google said it is recommending a "metering" system that offers 10 free articles per month as the best way to stimulate subscriptions.
Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp, which operates the Wall Street Journal and newspapers in the UK and Australia, welcomed Google's announcement.
"If the change is introduced correctly, the impact will be profoundly positive for journalists around the world and for the cause of informed societies," Thomson, a fierce critic of Google's previous policy, said in a statement.
Thomson and others had complained that the "first free click" penalized new organizations that refused to participate, degrading their articles in Google searches.
The California technology giant also said it will work with publishers to facilitate subscriptions, including the ability for readers to pay with their Google or Android accounts to avoid cumbersome registration processes.
"We thought we could reduce it to a click, that would be excellent," Gingras said.
He explained that people are getting used to paying for news, but that "is sometimes a painful process of signing up for a subscription that can be frustrated. This is not good for users or for publishers, who view subscriptions as an increasingly important source of revenue. "
Google will share data with news companies to enable them to maintain the relationship with the customer, he said.
"We do not seek to own the customers," he said. "We will provide the user's name, email address and, if necessary, address."
Gingras noted that Google is also exploring ways "to use automated learning to help publishers recognize potential subscribers," using technology technology giant to support news companies.
He added that Google is not implementing these changes to generate revenue for itself, although some financial details have not been estimated yet.
Google does not try to take a portion of the revenue from subscriptions, he said.
"Our intention is to be as generous as possible," he said.
Research firm eMarketer estimates that Google and Facebook will receive 63% of the revenue from digital advertising in 2017, making it harder for news companies to compete online.
Facebook is believed to be working on a similar effort to help news companies get more subscriptions.
Google created the "Digital News Initiative" in Europe in 2015, which provides funding for innovative journalistic projects.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario