Since the adoption of the European Copyright Directive (EUCD) in 2019, Google has been looking grim. This is because the search engine must now pay press publishers more when it uses their content. Although the Mountain View firm is worth billions of dollars, paying media outlets for "snippets," the few lines presented in search feeds before news articles, seems too much for its finances.
So, Google is looking for solutions. The latest one: demonstrate that these "snippets" bring in almost no revenue. To do this, the American giant launched last November what it calls an "experiment." It removed media content from Google News, Google Search, and Discover, serving 1% of European users. Its goal is to demonstrate that it is not making any profit from its advertising content.
"During our negotiations to comply with the European Copyright Directive (EUCD), we noted several inaccurate reports that greatly overestimate the value of news content for Google,” the company maintains in a short press release.
Google claims that news content has no impact on its revenue
During the test, the number of daily active users decreased by 0.8%, with no impact on advertising revenue. At least, that’s what Google claims. "Whether it's finding a florist, getting the weather forecast, or booking a flight, people go to Google for many reasons. This study showed that people continue to go to Google for these many other tasks, even when Google is less useful for news."
In other words, European news publishers, Google doesn't need you! You're not profitable enough to deserve compensation. Take their word for it, don't be offended... and above all, don't forget to say thank you because you still owe him!
"As part of our commitment to providing a vibrant and healthy content ecosystem, we have long supported media outlets in their digital transformation. We will continue to work in partnership with publishers to help them reach their audiences in a world where "technologies are evolving rapidly," Google assures.
France removed from the experiment
At the study originally involved nine countries, including France, but also Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. In France, the operation was suspended following an order from the Paris Commercial Court. France's firm stance on this issue was also reflected last March, with a fine of €250 million for unauthorized use of content published by the media. It is also interesting to note the absence of Germany in this "experiment".
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