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Google Will Prioritize Stories for Paying News Subscribers (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the up-next dept.

Google users who subscribe to newspapers will find articles from those publications appearing higher in their search results, part of the tech giant's efforts to help media companies find and retain paying readers, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter. From the report: The Alphabet unit will also begin sharing search data that show who's most likely to buy a subscription, said the people, who asked to be anonymous because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. Google executives plan to disclose specific details at an event in New York on March 20, according to the people. Google declined to comment. The moves could help publishers better target potential digital subscribers and keep the ones they've already got by highlighting stories from the outlets they're paying for. The initiative marks the latest olive branch from Silicon Valley in its evolving relationship with media companies.

4 of 36 comments (clear)

  1. How does google know what I subscribe to? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...Google users who subscribe to newspapers ...

    Do I have to tell google, or does google just sift through their data and surmise?

    1. Re:How does google know what I subscribe to? by stephanruby · · Score: 4, Interesting

      . . . which Google will promptly resell.

      Google doesn't resell information. Reselling such information and you can only resell it once.

      However, selling targeted advertisements, you can do that an infinite amount of times.

      In other words, the original post should have said

      Google will probably expect the media companies to provide them with subscriber lists . . .

      . . . which Google will promptly use to sell more expensive ads (including ads purchased by the newspapers own competitors).

  2. I'm willing to pay by layabout · · Score: 3, Interesting

    but only once. I am not going to pay for multiple newspaper subscriptions. I want a netflix type subscription where I pay one party and I have access to all the news out there.

  3. Re:Doesn't matter. by XXongo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I canceled my last magazine and newspaper subscriptions 10 years ago, and I will never again, as long as I live, pay $1 for for any of it. Ever.

    That is, of course, why fake news is running rampant: people like you don't want to pay anything to reporters to get real news, and so what you get is what you pay for: worthless news.