New Zealand to Mandate Tech Platforms to Pay for News Content

New Zealand’s conservative coalition government announced on Tuesday that it will advance a bill requiring digital technology platforms to compensate media companies for news content. The initiative aims to address the financial challenges local media face in competing for advertising revenue against tech giants, according to a Reuters report.

The Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill, initially introduced by the previous Labour government last year, is set to be presented in Parliament with amendments designed to bolster local media’s ability to generate revenue from the news they produce. Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith emphasized the importance of the bill in supporting New Zealand’s media landscape.

“The amendments to the bill will align it more closely with Australia’s digital bargaining law, ensuring that our local media companies can earn fair revenue for the news they provide,” Goldsmith stated, as reported by Reuters.

Australia’s digital bargaining law, which came into effect in March 2021, empowers the government to compel internet firms such as Meta Platforms (owner of Facebook) and Alphabet Inc’s Google to negotiate payment agreements with media outlets if voluntary negotiations fail. This regulatory framework has set a precedent that New Zealand aims to follow, aiming to create a more equitable environment for its news media industry.

New Zealand media companies have been struggling to compete with large technology firms for advertising dollars, which has significantly impacted their ability to sustain quality news programming.

Source: Reuters