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Google to Block all Links to Canadian News

This decision by Google comes shortly after Meta made a similar announcement, pledging to blackout Canadian publishers on Facebook and Instagram and criticizing the law as “fundamentally flawed.”

Maddy Troy

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Google announced on Thursday that it would block all links to Canadian news articles. This is in response to a new law in Canada that mandates tech companies to compensate publishers for content.

According to NPR, Google executive Kent Walker stated in a blog post, “We have now informed the government that when the law takes effect, we, unfortunately, will have to remove links to Canadian news from our Search, News, and Discover products in Canada.”

This decision by Google comes shortly after Meta made a similar announcement, pledging to blackout Canadian publishers on Facebook and Instagram and criticizing the law as “fundamentally flawed.”

The clash between the tech giants and the Canadian government centers around the legislation that would require them to negotiate compensation agreements with news organizations for sharing links to news stories.

Although the Online News Act was passed last week, it may take several months to be enforced. Once in effect, both Google and Meta have confirmed that they will begin removing news articles from Canadian news outlets on their platforms within the country.

Supporters of the legislation argue that it could provide much-needed support to the struggling news industry, which has faced significant challenges due to the dominance of Silicon Valley in digital advertising. According to Canadian government data, over 450 news outlets in the country have closed since 2008.

In April, proponents of the bill wrote, “Digital platforms and social media are now the gateways where people find, read, and share news. Because of this, advertising revenues have shifted away from local news and journalists to these gatekeepers, who profit from the sharing and distribution of Canadian news content.”

Both Google and Meta have long opposed the Canadian law, arguing that they already assist news organizations by driving web traffic to their sites. News articles represent a small portion of content on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, comprising approximately 3% of what users see daily on Facebook.

Google also does not consider news articles essential to its service. Therefore, the companies have opted to block links to news articles rather than initiate direct payments to news organizations.

While most prominent publishers in Canada support the new law, media observers outside the industry have expressed reservations. Tech writer Casey Newton has warned that taxing the display of links could potentially “break the internet” if applied more broadly.

Critics have also raised concerns about the lack of transparency regarding which entities would receive financial support from tech companies, with fears that disinformation sites could exploit the system.

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Media Business

CBS News Adds New Roles, Duties for Editorial Leaders

CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews announced on Thursday the various changes.

Eduardo Razo

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A photo of the CBS News logo

On Thursday, Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, the recently appointed president of CBS News, revealed several changes to the editorial leadership.

Terri Stewart is now the senior vice president of domestic newsgathering at CBS News. Furthermore, Stewart will oversee the domestic bureaus and manage bookings. Kaci Sokoloff will support her in this role.

Shuffling doesn’t stop there. London bureau chief Andrew Roy now oversees all CBS News international bureaus. Jose Diaz, who leads the network’s foreign desk, will now report to Roy.

David Reiter’s team at CBS News will extend their role to cover significant reporting beats beyond Washington, D.C. They will work with CBS Stations and the Innovation Lab to find prospects for joint national and local news coverage and continue producing special events programming.

Additionally, Kate Zuckerman was promoted to VP of affiliate relations and special events planning. Beth Boyle was elevated to national and planning editor, overseeing editorial content and managing desk operations.

CBS is adding two political investigative producers, led by Matt Mosk, to its growing investigative team. The group will now be incorporated into the Washington D.C. Bureau and report straight to bureau chief Mark Lima.

Finally, Ciprian-Matthews notified staff that the network is hiring an Executive Producer of Daily News.

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Media Business

Experts ‘Don’t See a Buyer’ for ABC

Sources close to the situation say Nexstar isn’t in a good place to pay what Disney would probably demand for ABC.

Eduardo Razo

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A photo of the ABC logo.

Last week, The Walt Disney Company found themselves in the news after a report surfaced noting that they could be looking to offload ABC. Bloomberg revealed that Nexstar Media Group had initial talks with Disney to acquire the television station.

Furthermore, media mogul Byron Allen has offered $10 billion to buy ABC. Still, despite the rumors of a possible sale, various insiders tell The New York Post that they don’t believe Disney will be offloading ABC.

Sources close to the situation told the Post that Nexstar isn’t in a good place to pay what Disney would probably demand for ABC.

“Everyone is way ahead of their skis on this story,” a banker told the Post. “They don’t know what is happening here. Disney taking a meeting doesn’t mean you’re ready to sell, it means you’re getting offers. This is something evolving over many weeks.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced in June that legacy television assets, such as ABC, may not be deemed core assets for the company going forward. Nevertheless, some cynics noticed it as Iger inviting a deep-pocketed bidder to come forward. Thus far, none have emerged.

“He told the world if someone wants to put a really big number on these assets he will sell,” a second banker told the Post. “I just don’t see a buyer.”

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SiriusXM CEO: New Streaming App to ‘Enhance’ Subscription Value

Witz shared the company’s planned launch of a next-generation streaming app later this year to draw younger, more diverse audiences and deliver improved search suggestions and other elements.

Eduardo Razo

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SiriusXM aims to increase listenership beyond cars and enhance channel personalization and mobility.

Last month, it was revealed that Suzi Watford was tasked with constructing what she anointed the “next-gen SiriusXM” for its 34 million paying subscribers, helping it reach listeners outside the car.

Recently, CEO Jennifer Witz shared an update on how the process is going for SiriusXM in their efforts to reach listeners on different platforms during a webcast session at the recent Bank of America Securities Media, Communications, and Entertainment Conference.

“It’s really about how do we continue to enhance the value of our subscriptions and [showcase] this tremendously valuable set of content that really speaks to every audio genre,” Witz said. 

Witz shared the company’s planned launch of a next-generation streaming app later this year to draw younger, more diverse audiences and deliver improved search suggestions and other elements.

“The biggest gap we found is being able to get consumers into the content they love,” Witz added. “In the car, it’s been very much about turning the dial or hearing the on-air promotion, or get the email and then go find the content.

“We’re going to be able to make it much easier for our in-car subscribers to carry their listening forward into streaming devices, and vice versa, in a very seamless way. So ultimately, I think it’s not going to be about streaming subscribers or in-car subscribers, but really just about subscribers, because we’re pretty indifferent as to how they listen or where they listen.”

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