American tech giant Google has joined forces with UK-based international news organization Reuters to create a News Showcase product that curates news from newsrooms across the world for internet users.
Google News Showcase initiative, which was launched in October last year with an initial investment of $1 billion, will provide readers more insights and aid publishers’ foster deeper relationships with their audiences.
News Showcase panels enable publishers to generate significant news articles with context and links to additional reports in the Google News section. Furthermore, panels feature recognizable branding so users can easily select reputed news organizations.
Brad Bender VP – Product Management Google
“Their [Reuters’] in-depth coverage from 2,500 journalists around the world is indispensable and, another example of the quality news content News Showcase is bringing to users. Our investment of $1 billion over the next three years towards news partnerships and for News Showcase helps support publications to produce, distribute and explain essential information to users in new ways.”
Since its launch, the search engine giant has signed with nearly 450 publications across several countries for its News Showcase. It also pays its Google News Showcase partners to provide users with free access to selected paid articles.
The move will allow publishers to develop their relationships with users and encourage them to become subscribers, added Mr. Bender.
Google has also launched its first Impact Challenge program in Central and Eastern Europe, where it will award $2.42 million (€2 million) to organizations that are working to bridge the social and digital divide to support inclusive economic development and recovery.
“We are looking for initiatives that aim to rebuild the economy with social inclusion at its core … the ideas can be big or small and at any level of maturity, whether it’s a new idea or a well-established effort poised to scale,” said Matt Brittin, president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Google.
