In order to allay fears that Google has too much influence over European search results, the company is to start working closely with eight of the continent’s major online news providers.
This followed on from the recent announcement that
EU regulators would launch an investigation into whether or not the search engine was distorting its page results to highlight its own services. As Google currently controls around 90% of the European search market, its activities are being closely monitored to ensure proper competition.
However, while news sources will not come under the auspices of the investigation, suppliers have been notably wary, in recent years, of the influence that Google has over who can see their stories. With this in mind, the search engine is hoping that working closely with publishers will help to “increase revenue, traffic and audience engagement” within the sector.
The Digital News Initiative – which will see major news suppliers such as Britain’s The Guardian, Spain’s El Pais and Germany’s Die Zeit teaming up with Google – will reportedly focus on developing sufficient products for the industry. This will be combined with additional research, training and a €150m (£107.3m) fund for innovation over a period of three years.
The Guardian reported that while a top Google official was expected to say that the search firm had made some mistakes in the past when it came to dealing with news providers, it was committed to creating an open dialogue to help build up a more sustainable industry.
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