Google Will Launch Digital News Media Partnership Funds Worth IDR 151.2 Billion In Taiwan

JAKARTA - On Wednesday, March 8, Alphabet Inc., the parent parent of Google announced that it will launch a $ 300 million (IDR 151.2 billion) fund over the next three years to help improve sustainable operations and digital competitiveness of Taiwanese media.

Google has come under pressure in some countries to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content, although Taiwan itself was not requested.

Google said it would pay local publishers through the so-called "Taiwan News Digital Co-prosperity Fund" to strengthen their digital publishing capabilities.

"The funds will help local Taiwanese media hone digital skills, gain expertise, and support the sustainable development of the Taiwan news industry," the company said.

"Still Google faces many challenges in the international environment as a whole, Taiwan remains an important global bulwark," Tina Lin, director of Google Taiwan's sales and operations, told reporters in Taipei.

Google says Taiwan's media industry has faced major competitive challenges in adapting to the digital era, showing that ad revenue for traditional media has fallen 70% from 2003 to 2020.

The initiative is the latest attempt by internet giants to develop a mechanism to support and replace regional news givers whose content appears on Google, when the government threatens to enact regulations to demand the mechanism.

The Australian law, which powers the government to force Google and its rivals, Meta Platforms (META.O), to negotiate content supply deals with the media, has been successful, according to an Australian government report by the end of 2022.