Summary Australia will require major technology platforms to strike deals with at least eight local news organisations under revised media laws.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will increase the number of deals large technology companies must strike with local news organisations under revised media licensing laws, the government said, as it seeks to distribute more advertising revenue among domestic outlets.
The legislation, which will be introduced to parliament on Thursday, will require digital platforms to reach agreements with at least eight media companies, up from six under an earlier draft.
The revised framework will also allocate 5% of funds raised under the scheme to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), the former industry-owned newswire that now operates as a non-profit organisation.
The government has reinstated a cap under which any individual deal cannot exceed 25% of a platform’s levy liability. The levy is equivalent to 2.5% of a company’s Australian advertising revenue, with payments reduced by the value of agreements reached with news organisations.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the changes were aimed at better supporting smaller and diverse media organisations because Australians access news through a range of platforms and sources.
The legislation revives the government’s efforts to channel revenue from major technology companies to Australian news organisations whose content contributes to user engagement and advertising revenue on their platforms.
Funding for AAP, which provides text, photographs and video to media organisations across Australia, reflects its role in supporting public-interest journalism, the government said.
Australia’s original 2021 media bargaining law required Google and Meta to negotiate payments with news organisations for content, while allowing a government-appointed arbitrator to determine terms if negotiations failed.
The major technology companies subsequently reached several commercial agreements under the framework, but the government began redesigning the system after Meta announced it would stop paying for news content in Australia and other markets.
The new framework will cover platforms including TikTok and Microsoft’s LinkedIn.
