New Zealand Joins Premises The Law On Google And Meta Pays For The Content Of The News Used

JAKARTA - The New Zealand government has announced that it will introduce legislation that will require major online digital companies such as Alphabet Inc and Meta Platforms Inc to pay New Zealand media companies for local news content that appears on their feed.

New Zealand's Broadcasting Minister mindfulness Jackson said in a statement on Sunday December 4 that the law would emulate similar laws in Australia and Canada. He also hopes the law will act as an incentive for digital platforms to reach an agreement with local news outlets.

"New Zealand news media, particularly regional newspapers and small communities, are struggling to stay financially viable as more ads move online," Jackson said, as quoted by Reuters. "It is very important for those who benefit from their news content to actually pay for it."

The new law will be submitted to a vote in parliament, where the majority of the ruling Labor Party is expected to pass it.

Australia introduced such legislation in 2021 that gave the government power to get internet companies to negotiate content supply deals with media outlets. A review released by the Australian government last week found most of it successful.