TRENTON, Canada — Google has reached a landmark agreement to compensate Canadian news organizations, paying $100 million for the right to use news content on its platform, the company announced Friday.
The deal marks a significant breakthrough in Canada’s efforts to ensure digital platforms fairly compensate local journalism, addressing long-standing concerns about revenue loss in the news industry.
Under the terms of the Online News Act, Google will distribute funds through the Canadian Journalism Collective, with 30% allocated to broadcasters and the remainder divided among news publishers. Small outlets will receive $17,000 per full-time journalist, while larger organizations will get $13,798 per journalist.
“This funding will bolster cash flow for Canadian newsrooms, allowing them to produce more high-quality coverage of our democratic institutions,” said Paul Deegan, president of News Media Canada.
In contrast, Meta — which owns Facebook and Instagram — has refused to comply with the legislation, blocking Canadian news content from its platforms entirely.
The agreement grants Google a five-year exemption from the Online News Act and provides a potential template for how digital platforms might compensate news organizations globally.
The deal represents a crucial intervention in an industry struggling with declining ad revenues and increasing digital competition, potentially offering a lifeline to Canadian journalism.
Negotiations highlight the ongoing global debate about the value of news content in the digital ecosystem and tech companies’ responsibilities toward media organizations.
