Google
announced Sh108 billion fund to start paying news publishers for content and also
support a new product its launching dubbed "Google News Showcase."
Google
parent company Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai made the announcement in a blog
post paving way for the new digital move.
"I
have always valued quality journalism and believed that a vibrant news industry
is critical to a functioning democratic society," posted Pichai.
He
said the $1 billion investment in news publishers across the globe will
definitely be Google’s biggest financial commitment to journalism to date.
Pichai explained that the mega company
seeks to use Google News Showcase to create a "different kind of online
news experience".
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The product is expected to appear initially
in Google News on Android devices and will mainly feature curated news stories
to "give readers more insight on the stories that matter".
Showcase will launch on the Google
News app on Apple iOS devices soon and late will be available via Google's
search function in the future.
The service was rolled out in
Germany and Brazil on Thursday with Germany's Der Spiegel and Folha de S.Paulo of
Brazil and other countries will follow.