Australia’s Seven West Media strikes partnership with Google

(Reuters) – Australia’s Seven West Media Ltd said on Monday it entered into an initial deal to form a long-term partnership with Alphabet Inc’s Google to provide content to the tech company’s News Showcase product.

Google launched its News Showcase platform in Australia earlier this month, which will see it strike its own content deals with publishers and pay seven domestic outlets to use their content.

The launch of the product is Google’s latest tactic in a campaign against the Australian government’s planned legislation to make the company pay publishers and broadcasters for content that appears in its search engine.

The legislation, which Google previously said was “unworkable”, will be introduced by the Australian parliament this week.

Seven West Media Chairman Kerry Stokes said in a statement that the proposed bill had enabled the company “to conclude negotiations that result in fair payment” and ensure its “digital future”.

Financial terms were not disclosed. The company added that its agreement with Google would be subject to executing a long-form agreement within the next 30 days.

(Reporting by Shriya Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Cooney)