Google News Licensing Program: Just The Facts

Over the summer, Google launched a news licensing program that would pay publishers for “high-quality content.” According to Google, “This [licensing] program will help participating publishers monetize their content through an enhanced storytelling experience that lets people go deeper into more complex stories, stay informed and be exposed to a world of different issues and interests.” The technology giant recently released an update on how testing of the program is progressing.

Why Did Google Launch A News Licensing Program?

The intention of the Google news licensing program is multifold. Via the Google News Initiative, launched in 2018, Google has already shown a keen interest in creating a sustainable future for news outlets during what has been a very difficult decade for publishers and journalists. As the world’s biggest search engine, Google’s relationship with the news is already fundamental to reader access and news delivery, with Google noting, “Over the years, we’ve built audiences and driven economic value for publishers by sending people to news sites over 24 billion times a month, giving publishers the opportunity to offer ads or subscriptions and increase the audience for their content.” The Google news licensing program will create an additional outlet for top-quality news, support local news publishers and provide another way for journalism to “thrive in the digital age.” 

Currently, the Google news licensing program has 10 different news outlets from Germany and Brazil in the early access program. These news outlets are working with Google, testing features, tech integrations and gathering reader feedback in order to create the best experience for readers and publishers. Google anticipates a full program launch, presumably worldwide, later this year. 

How Does The Google Licensing Program Help Publishers And Digital Marketers?

Google noted that when possible it will “pay for free access for users to read paywalled articles on a publisher’s site,” allowing paywalled publishers to reach new audiences and potentially scale subscriptions. For advertisers, the long term benefits of the Google news licensing program could mean more readers being driven to high-quality new sources, creating potentially higher yield opportunities for display and native advertising. 

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