Google to pay for high-quality news content from select publishers

New Delhi: Search engine giant Google on Thursday announced a new licensing programme to pay publishers for high-quality content.

This 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, Google said.

It will start with publishers in a number of countries around the globe, with more to come soon, the company added.

To begin with, Google has signed partnerships with local and national publications in Germany, Australia and Brazil.

"While we’ve previously funded high-quality content, this program is a significant step forward in how we will support the creation of this kind of journalism. To start, we have signed partnerships with local and national publications in Germany, Australia and Brazil," Brad Bender VP Product Management, News wrote in a blog.

Google said it will also offer to pay for free access for users to read paywalled articles on a publisher’s site, where available.

This will let paywalled publishers grow their audiences and open an opportunity for people to read content they might not ordinarily see, the company added. 

“We have been actively working with our publisher partners on this new product which will launch first on Google News and Discover. We are currently engaged in discussions with many more partners and plan to sign more in the coming months,” Google said.