• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, June 25, 2020

Google announced Thursday that it will pay some publishers for high-quality content through license agreements.

"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," wrote Brad Bender, Google's VP product management of News, in a post. 

The news content will serve up in Google News and Discover later this year. The program aims to help publishers such as Germany’s Spiegel Group, and South Australia’s InQueensland and InDaily to participate and monetize their content. It will begin with publishers in numerous countries worldwide, with more to come soon.

These early adopters, including Brazilian regional media company Diarios Associados, have already signed licensing deals with Google.

The agreement for some will include an offer to pay to give readers free access to articles behind a paywall on a publisher’s site. This will let publishers with paywalls grow their audiences and open an opportunity for people to read content they might not ordinarily see.  

To support publishers during the past few months during COVID-19, the Google News Initiative has provided funding to more than 5,300 local publications globally through a Journalism Emergency Relief Fund, an ad-serving fee waiver on Google Ad Manager and a $15 million in Support Local News Campaign.