Google Agrees to Pay Canadian Publishers for News Content

Tech Giant to Contribute $73.5 Million Annually, Avoiding News Blockade

Google has agreed to pay Canadian publishers for their news content, backing down from a threat to block all news content produced in the country on its platforms.
The agreement resolves tensions between Google and Canada over a controversial law known as C-18 requiring digital platforms to compensate news publishers for their work.
Under the announced deal with Google, the search giant will pay $100 million CAD ($73.5 million US) a year into a fund that will be distributed to publishers.
Instead of negotiating with individual publishers over payment, Google will have the option to work with a single collective to distribute its contribution to all interested eligible news businesses.
The Google agreement marks a departure from the path taken by Instagram-parent Meta, which opted to pull news content from its platforms in Canada in response to C-18.