NZ to force Big Tech to pay for local news

WELLINGTON: Big Tech firms such as Google and Meta will soon be forced to pay media houses in New Zealand a “fair price” for any content they use on their websites according to a new law, local news reported.

The move will be in line with similar decisions taken by the government of Australia and Canada that require global technology powerhouses to pay local media houses for domestic news that they display on their websites.

New Zealand broadcasting minister Willie Jackson told Stuff.co.nz that the government will introduce legislation to act as a “backstop” when big internet platforms did not voluntarily strike deals with media outlets. It is likely that Big Tech firms will be given three to six months before the mandatory mediation process kick off, he added.

“We’ve probably lost 50% of journalists in the last 10 years. We’ve got to give hope to the small players out there. I’m proud to bring forward this legislation to support them,” he was quoted as saying by Stuff.co.nz.

“It’s not fair that the big digital platforms like Google and Meta get to host and share local news for free. It costs to produce the news and it’s only fair they pay.”

”The reality is we are talking about $30m to $50m coming back into the local market,” Jackson said.

In March 2021, Australia became the first country in the world to enforce a law which obligates that Google and Facebook strike deals to compensate media outlets for news content they use. The plans were fiercely opposed by Google and Facebook, which temporarily removed all news from its platform in the country.