Reports and analyses from Canadian journalism industry experts and organizations

Google Pays $100M Annually for Five-Year Online News Act Exemption

Jan 4, 2025, 04:01 AM

Google has paid $100 million to the Canadian Journalism Collective as part of an agreement to secure a five-year exemption from Canada's Online News Act. The act requires large tech companies, with significant revenue and user bases, to compensate Canadian news outlets for using their content. The funds will be distributed to eligible publishers and broadcasters by the non-profit collective, with publishers receiving approximately $13,798 per journalist and broadcasters receiving $6,806 per eligible worker. CBC/Radio-Canada will receive no more than $7 million from the fund. The payment marks a milestone in efforts to address the imbalance in advertising revenue between tech giants and traditional media, which has faced closures and layoffs due to declining revenues. Meta, another company targeted by the act, has opted to block Canadian news content on its platforms instead of making payments. Google has committed to paying $100 million annually under the agreement. The Online News Act aims to support Canadian journalism by ensuring fair compensation for content used by tech platforms.