Google has been publishing content from participating press publishers on its “News Showcase” portal since last autumn. It is now being checked whether the access conditions are sufficiently transparent.
German media regulators are looking at the Google News Showcase offering. The state media authorities announced on Wednesday at the request of the German Press Agency whether it has made its access conditions according to the State Media Treaty transparent.
Content from participating press publishers is presented on the Google News Showcase portal, which has been offered by Google in Germany since autumn 2020.
According to the information, several media companies had addressed the state media authorities because they feared disadvantages for themselves. Although the media regulators want to check the offer for transparency, they also formally rejected four complaints from regional publishers that did not participate in the Google offer, as it was said. According to the media regulators, the decisive factor was that the publishers had “not actively sought” to participate in the offer. “There is no obligation for Google to actively invite you here.”
In addition, the media regulators value the offer more as a media platform and not as a so-called media intermediary who merely provides content on its website. The complaints related to a discrimination clause in the Interstate Media Treaty that applies to media intermediaries.
Google said in a statement: “We welcome the fact that the publishers’ complaints have been rejected. Showcase is one of many measures with which Google supports journalism. ”All publishers could benefit from the tools and funding programs, as the company said. “Showcase is an international licensing program for news content. The selection of partners is based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria. Contents from showcase partners are not preferred in the ranking of the results. “
It was only announced at the beginning of the month that the Federal Cartel Office had initiated an antitrust review of the Google News Showcase offer.
With the News Showcase, Google enables publishers to place their content prominently on the web. The content providers receive a financial remuneration. The amount of the fee and the other contractual provisions will be treated confidentially by the parties involved. The Google News Showcase started in autumn in Germany and Brazil, but is now also available in other countries.
