Google and the publicly listed broadcast television, print and online publishing company jointly announced they had agreed on a "long-term partnership" after weekend discussions Australian government ministers had with media executives, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google.
The deal was struck under Google's own model, News Showcase. Google has reached pay deals with more than 450 publications globally since News Showcase was launched in October. Neither Google nor Seven West Media mentioned how much the deal was worth. Rival media company Nine Entertainment reported, citing unnamed industry sources, that it was worth more than 30 million Australian dollars a year.
Australian media companies stood to make better deals under the code without Google "in the driver's seat" of negotiations, she said. Google and Facebook did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Frydenberg's discussions with their leaders.