New Zealand enacts legislation requiring large digital companies such as Google and Meta to share revenues with local news media.
Meta and Google forced to sign revenue deals with New Zealand news publishers under new law / Muhammad Asyfaul
model law Similar laws in Australia and Canada encourage online players to engage in “high-quality, voluntary dealings with local news outlets.”
Willie Jackson, New Zealand’s Minister of Broadcasting, said the move was “important” for the country’s news media industry, particularly for the often overlooked Maori, Pacific and ethnic media.
“New Zealand news media, especially smaller regional and community papers, are struggling to remain financially viable as more advertising moves online. It’s important that the person getting it actually pays.
“Decreasing revenues for our media companies are impacting news production due to a significant drop in the number of journalists in New Zealand and less local news content production. We will continue to make New Zealand news and stories. .
“We don’t want a system where only the big guys can sign. Australian competition regulators have found that big online players have substantial bargaining power, so they can help level the playing field. We need laws that support voluntary bargaining.”
“Some agreements have been reached voluntarily, but smaller regional, regional, Maori, Pacific and ethnic media are more likely to miss, so this is to ensure everyone is treated fairly. ”.
Jackson said the bill would outline a negotiation and mandatory negotiation process and act as a backstop to facilitate voluntary agreements.
This approach has been used successfully in Australia, with the introduction of mandatory bargaining provisions for news media and digital platforms in 2021. This provision is a world first and was recently deemed a success by the Australian government.
Australian law has received attention from several countries. Canada has taken a similar approach, with Google agreeing to her 150 deals ahead of the law’s introduction. India, Brazil and the US are also reportedly considering similar deals.
