Google has said that it would pay publishers globally $1bn for their news over the next three years.
News publishers have in the past asked Google for compensation for using their content on the world’s most popular search engine.
Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer of Google, said the new product called Google News Showcase will launch first in Germany where it has signed up German newspapers including Der Spiegel, Stern, Die Zeit, and in Brazil with Folha de S.Paulo, Band and Infobae.
It will be rolled out in Belgium, India, the Netherlands and other countries.
About 200 publishers in Argentina, Australia, Britain, Brazil, Canada and Germany have signed up to the product, Reuter’s reports.
He said, “This financial commitment – our biggest to date – will pay publishers to create and curate high-quality content for a different kind of online news experience.
Google parent Alphabet reported a net profit of $34.3bn on revenue of almost $162bn last year.
The product, which allows publishers to pick and present their stories, will launch on Google News on Android devices and eventually on Apple devices.
“This approach is distinct from our other news products because it leans on the editorial choices individual publishers make about which stories to show readers and how to present them,” Pichai said.
