Alphabet Inc's Google has reached licensing deals with over 600 news outlets around the world and is seeing a"huge increase" in users requesting more content from specific publications as part of a new program, it said on Wednesday.
The update comes as big internet service providers including Facebook Inc have been locked in bitter disputes over fair compensation to publishers.Google is continuing to negotiate with additional publishers, including in the Unites States, to spend US$1 billion for what it calls News Showcase. Users can"follow" publishers to get more panels from them. Publishers including The Financial Times and The Canberra Times collectively are generating 7,000 panels per day and users have registered 200,000 follows, Google plans to announce.
Over time, Google hopes publishers can turn followers into paying subscribers or get a sales boost from increased viewership of ad-supported content.