Google give in to publishers like News Corp; free news access to be limited
Publishers of paid content made available to readers free via Google News will now be able to limit user’s access, Google have revealed today.
The move follows increasing pressure on Google from publishers threatening to remove their stories from Google’s online aggregators unless premium content could be sufficiently monetised. Vocal detractors included media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who told the US Federal Trade Commission workshop yesterday: “Producing journalism is expensive. We invest tremendous resources in our project from technology to our salaries. To aggregate stories is not fair use. To be impolite, it is theft.”
Google’s Josh Cohen announced that changes made to the First Click Free Programme would now allow publishers to charge for their premium content, limiting users to just five pages of news before being offered a subscription offer.
Cohen discussed the changes, “These are two of the ways we allow publishers to make their subscription content discoverable, and we’re going to keep talking with publishers to refine these methods. After all, whether you’re offering your content for free or selling it, it’s crucial that people find it. Google can help with that.”
Via: The Guardian
