Celt partners with Google News
Tech giant Google has signed agreements with seven Irish news partners including Celtic Media (parent company of The Anglo-Celt), The Irish Times and The Journal.
Part of a new initiative to support Irish media, Google will license high-quality news content from these publishers for News Showcase, Google’s new programme for news.
There are seven publishers currently taking part representing almost 40 publications and a mix of local, regional and national news organisations from across Ireland. Google plans to roll out News Showcase to readers in Ireland in the coming months.
Google News Showcase supports news publishers by giving them a new way to curate their high-quality content on Google’s News and Discover platforms, connecting their readers with the news that matters to them and a deeper storytelling experience. It is supported by Google’s $1 billion global investment in news. “As one of the leading local news publishers in Ireland, Celtic Media Group welcomes the opportunity to be a launch partner for Google News Showcase,” says Frank Mulrennan, the CEO of Celtic Media Group.
“We see it as a real opportunity to further build our audience through the enhanced profile of the news panels, which then drive readers back to our publisher sites for the fuller story. We have been impressed by the News Showcase induction programme.”
Nearly 1,000 news publications globally have signed deals for News Showcase since last year, in countries including India, Germany, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Australia, Czechia, Japan, Colombia, the U.K, Austria and Argentina, with discussions underway in other countries.
Google News Showcase is the company’s latest investment to support journalism. In Ireland, Google supports news publishers in a number of ways including innovation funding and training, as well as products like Google News and Search, which sends valuable traffic to news sites.
Anthony Nakache, director of online partnerships, EMEA, Google, said: “Google is committed to supporting a sustainable news model for publishers across the globe and in Ireland, we look forward to working collaboratively with the publishers to help further connect their news stories and content to their readership, while also expanding on our mission to help people access trustworthy information online and to support an open web for all.”