Australia To Develop Code of Conduct For Tech Giants to Pay For News Content

[engine]

Australia is to develop a code of conduct to require the tech giants, such as Facebook and Google, to pay for news content consumed.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had initially been tasked with developing a voluntary code to address the bargaining power imbalance between digital giants and traditional media outlets.

However, the ACCC has since advised the Government that reaching a voluntary agreement over the crucial issue of payment for content would be "unlikely".

[abc.net.au...]

[graeme_p]

I do not much like either side in this. FB and Google and monopolistic leeches, news publishers have an outmoded business model based on distribution more than really unique content.

Those who do generate really unique content have no such problem. I have a subscription (print + electronic) to The Spectator, and I would have an FT subscription if I was till interested in their specialist areas (and their audience means their ad rates are very high too) and I might get a New Scientist subscription (I definitely would if they had a much content per issue as they used to).

The tech giants can probably just drop any content they would have to pay for, because it can be replaced with free sources. My main news sources are free (although I go directly to them rather than Google News or FB).