Google News Will Soon Allow Free Access To Paywalled Articles!

Google, just over a month ago, pledged a $1 million investment into news publishers over the next three years to make high-quality content available to people.

The announcement was made by CEO Sundar Pichai just before Google launched a new product within Google News labelled ‘News Showcase’ which would help people access curated high-quality content. The California-based firm is also adding a new type of News Showcase panel that includes a list of important articles selected daily by several publishers.

Well, as part of News Showcase, Google will now provide readers with free access to paywalled stories. Google said it will pay participating partners to provide readers with limited access to paywalled content for News Showcase users.

“In return, users will register with the news publisher, providing a way for the publisher to build a relationship with the reader,” Google said. When Google’s News Showcase program launched, the search giant said it would pay $1 billion to news publishers in licensing fees.

News Showcase is also introducing a new type of panel, which will include a list of important articles selected daily by their favorite publishers. For example, if you follow a news outlet that covers local stories, the new panel will show daily updates on the most important local stories as selected by that newsroom. It’s a way for users to find valuable content from the news organizations they trust.

National and local publications will also now be shown within the For You feed. Google is also adding a dedicated area to discover new News Showcase publications with Newsstand on Google News. As part of a way to reach more people, Google said News Showcase will soon come to news.google.com and Discover.

Google also announced that since launching News Showcase in October, the number of publications that have signed on has doubled. There are now close to 400 news publications in countries such as Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, France, U.K., and Australia, Google said. The search giant said there are ongoing conversations to sign even more publications from other countries.