Google’s parent company, Alphabet, said on Wednesday that Taiwanese media would get a $9.8 million fund over the next three years to boost its media operations and digital competitiveness.
According to Reuters, although not in Taiwan, Google has come under pressure in some countries to pay news publishers for their content on its platform.
The search engine company, Google, said it will pay local publishers to enhance their digital publishing capability through an initiative it calls a “Taiwan News Digital Co-prosperity Fund.”
Google said, “The fund will help Taiwan’s local media hone digital skills, gain expertise and support the sustainable development of Taiwan’s news industry.”
In addition to what the company has said, the managing director of sales and operations at Google Taiwan, Tina Lin, told reporters in Taipei that “Even while Google faces many challenges in the overall international environment, Taiwan remains a crucial global stronghold.”
Based on the report, Google noted that advertising earnings for traditional media outlets had decreased by 70% from 2003 to 2020, claiming that Taiwan’s media industry has suffered significant competitive problems in adjusting to the digital age.
The program is the company’s most recent attempt to create systems to support and pay local news sources whose content appears on Google as it prepares for the possibility that regulations may be put in place requiring such mechanisms.
