Google backs publisher model as Apple considers price tag for news
Google said it backs the established system for paying news publishers, even as Apple considers a radically different model that would tie payments to how often its AI assistant uses journalism.
The search giant considers itself the only major tech platform with a structured approach to paying publishers at scale, Morning Wire understands, with licensing agreements covering more than 5,500 European press publishers. Publishers are also compensated when protected content, including snippets, is displayed within Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode.
This comes after Apple announced on Thursday a new approach to publishers regarding multiyear agreements to supply current news and information to a revamped, AI-powered version of Siri expected later this year.
Unlike the guaranteed fees that have become common in licensing agreements between publishers and technology companies, Apple has discussed paying outlets according to how often their journalism is actually used by Siri, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The iPhone maker is understood to have set aside a budget running into the hundreds of millions of dollars for publisher payments.
Big Tech puts a price on news
Apple’s proposal would add another model to an increasingly important market as technology companies seek reliable, up-to-date information for their AI products and publishers push to be paid for providing it.
Google has built its approach around a wide network of licensing agreements.
Alongside deals with more than 5,500 European press publishers, Morning Wire understands the company continues to sign and renew agreements through Google News Showcase. This programme covers around 2,800 publications across 33 countries. Google is also running a separate commercial pilot with news publishers around AI.
The company’s position is that its partnerships are tailored to individual publishers and products, rather than relying on a single payment formula.
Apple’s proposal would take a different approach by more directly linking the value of journalism to how frequently it is used, giving publishers whose reporting is heavily surfaced by Siri greater upside, but offering less certainty than an upfront guaranteed payment.
OpenAI has pursued another model through individual agreements with major media companies including News Corp and Axel Springer.
While the ChatGPT maker told Morning Wire it could not comment on speculation around Apple’s plans, it pointed to its existing partnerships with news organisations and its work with publishers using OpenAI’s tech.