The Verge: Google agrees to pay publishers in Canada and drops plans for blocking news. “Google announced today that it won’t pull links to Canadian news outlets after all, thanks to an agreement with the government of Canada over the contentious Online News Act or Bill C-18.”
CBC: Meta ban has been rough, but Google ban would be worse, say small news outlets, analysts. “Small news outlets and media and internet experts say the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, has had a serious impact so far, and it may be about to get much worse.”
The Verge: A secret Google deal let Spotify completely bypass Android’s app store fees. “On the stand, Google head of global partnerships Don Harrison confirmed Spotify paid a 0 percent commission when users chose to buy subscriptions through Spotify’s own system. If the users picked Google as their payment processor, Spotify handed over 4 percent — dramatically less than Google’s more common 15 percent fee.”
Media Matters: Pro-Hitler and Holocaust denier account: X has paid me $3,000 in ad revenue sharing. “A verified account that has drawn millions of views for posts that lionize Hitler and deny the Holocaust said that it’s been paid $3,000 this year by X. Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino’s platform has continued to be a boon for bigots and misinformation but a disaster for advertisers: We found numerous advertisements for companies on that pro-Hitler account, including for major sportsbooks BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel.”
The Verge: What is Google trying to hide in its deal with Spotify?. “Is there something Google doesn’t want the world to know about its deal with Spotify? That’s what Google attorney Glenn Pomerantz suggested in Fortnite court this morning. Pomerantz argued that the court should seal portions of an upcoming exhibit revealing Google’s User Choice Billing agreement with Spotify — which lets Spotify use its own payment system for subscriptions while still giving Google a cut.”
Seattle Times: Google owes news outlets at least $10 billion yearly, study estimates. “A revelatory new study estimates that Google and Facebook owe U.S. news outlets at least $12 billion a year for the value news content adds to their platforms. Google owes publishers $10 billion to $12 billion annually and Facebook $1.9 billion, according to the study by professors at Columbia University and the University of Houston, with Boston-based consulting firm The Brattle Group.”
WIRED: TikTok Streamers Are Staging ‘Israel vs. Palestine’ Live Matches to Cash In on Virtual Gifts. “TIKTOKKERS ARE USING a little-known livestreaming feature to cash in on the huge interest in the Israel-Hamas war despite having no links to the crisis. TikTok, meanwhile, is taking up to 50 percent of the earnings”
Bloomberg: South Africa goes after Google, Facebook, and ChatGPT. “South Africa has started a probe to gauge if artificial intelligence models, digital and social media platforms managed by companies including Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook are limiting the nation’s news and media companies’ ability to generate revenue.”
9to5 Mac: Google search payment makes up 14-16% of Apple’s profits; if that’s banned, what then?. “The Google search payment – the annual amount Google pays to Apple in return for being the default search engine in Safari – reportedly makes up 14-16% of the Cupertino company’s total profits. With that payment now threatened by the antitrust case against Google, Bernstein analysts look at what that could mean for Apple.” Amazed that a company as old as Apple got that reliant on one revenue source.
Reuters: Google to pay German publishers 3.2 million eur per year on interim basis. “Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has agreed to pay German publishers 3.2 million euros ($3.38 million) a year for its publication of news content pending a decision from the German patent office (DPMA) on the issue, the sides said in separate statements on Thursday. The U.S. search engine operator reached the agreement with Corint Media, an umbrella organisation that represents the interests of German and international publishers including Sat.1, ProSieben, RTL, Axel Springer and CNBC.”
Tubefilter: Rooster Teeth moves shows to its website: “YouTube revenue just isn’t cutting it for us anymore.”. “Those animated hits were previously available on multiple platforms, including YouTube, where Rooster Teeth counts more than nine million subscribers on its primary channel. But Shawcross explained that “YouTube revenue just isn’t cutting it for us anymore,” necessitating a focus on the company’s website. ‘We know that it’s frustrating for some of you, but it’s just the reality of what we need to do,’ Shawcross said. ‘Animation is hard and expensive.'”
Channel News Asia: Malaysia mulls rules for Google, Meta to pay news outlets for content. “Malaysia said on Tuesday (Sep 5) it is considering regulations that will make internet giants Alphabet’s Google and Facebook parent Meta Platforms compensate news outlets for content sourced from them.”
CTV News: Online News Act could see Google, Meta pay combined $230 million to Canadian media. “Federal officials estimate Google would need to offer $172 million and Facebook $62 million in annual compensation to satisfy criteria they’re proposing be used to give exemptions under the Online News Act, a bill passed over the summer that will force tech companies to broker deals with media companies whose work they link to or repurpose.”
Mashable: YouTube star KSI shares how little he’s made from X monetization. “KSI is a YouTuber with more than 24 million subscribers on his channel. He has turned his online fame into a career in music and boxing. Along with YouTuber and WWE Superstar Logan Paul, he is a co-founder of the Prime sports and energy drink company. He posts on X regularly and his tweets receive millions of views. So, how much did KSI make from Musk’s platform over the past month? $1,590.”
Tech Policy Press: The Value of News Content to Google is Way More Than You Think. “The study, conducted by FehrAdvice & Partners AG on behalf of the SWISS MEDIA publishers’ association with oversight by leading academics, assessed the value of journalistic content on the Google search engine in Switzerland and its impact on user behavior and satisfaction, concluding that the market share of Google searches that use media content results in an estimated revenue of about $440 million per year. It suggests that if Google did not have a dominant monopoly position in web search and faced serious competition, fair compensation for the value that media content provides to Google search would amount to about 40% of total revenue, or approximately $176 million per year in Switzerland alone.”
