Google News Showcase launches in Aotearoa

With more news and information at Kiwis fingertips than ever before, Google has announced several investments to continue its support of the news industry.

To support news organisations and readers in New Zealand, Google is launching Google News Showcase, a curated online experience and licensing programme.

News Showcase panels display an enhanced view of an article or articles, giving participating publishers more ways to bring important news to readers and explain it in their own voice, along with more direct control of presentation and branding.

Beginning today, News Showcase is rolling out in New Zealand with seven news publishers representing more than 20 publications, including national, regional and local news outlets like the New Zealand Herald, RNZ, Crux, Newsroom and Pacific Media Network. This launch builds on News Showcase deals signed with more than 1,700 news publications in more than 17 countries, including Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Germany, Brazil, Italy and Argentina.

News Showcase panels from Google’s New Zealand news partners will begin appearing on Google News on Android, iOS and the web, and in Discover on iOS and Android. The panels direct readers to the full articles on news publications’ websites, enabling them to deepen their relationships with readers.

“By helping us build deeper relationships with readers, Google News Showcase will support the development of the BusinessDesk brand, which in turn boosts our editorial operation,” says Matt Martel, General Manager of BusinessDesk.

“Our relationship with Google is a key factor in growing our newsroom from five to more than 20 journalists.”

News Showcase highlights news publishers that are investing in comprehensive public interest journalism, giving them a new way to curate their high-quality content on Google’s News and Discover surfaces and bringing essential news coverage to Kiwis looking for it.

“Being able to further highlight the talent of NZME’s 300 editorial staff across our newsrooms is a really positive development,” says Michael Boggs, NZME CEO.

“NZME is strongly focused on transforming our business digitally, and the Google News Showcase partnership supports that focus.”

“At RNZ we’re huge fans of making sure the brilliant stories from our award-winning journalists reach as many people as possible,” says Megan Whelan, Interim Chief Content Officer of RNZ, New Zealand’s independent public service multimedia organisation.

“This new agreement is another way to make sure trusted public media content is available to more people via Google News, and that’s definitely a good news story.”

Google is also partnering with start-up community Fishburners to help fast track Australian and New Zealand entrepreneurs from idea to launch with a nine week crash-course.

The Google News Initiative (GNI) Startups Boot Camp is a professional development programme offering the hands-on support and coaching needed to breathe life into a new idea and bring it to market.

Since its launch globally, more than 50 start-up newsrooms have graduated from the programme.

The founders came from a range of backgrounds – professional journalists, engaged citizens, entrepreneurs – and since graduating from the Boot Camp they’ve collectively started to change the narrative in their respective countries.

The fully-remote curriculum runs over nine weeks and includes weekly group seminars, one-on-one coaching, a network of fellow news and information entrepreneurs, as well as a one-year membership to Fishburners Founders Hub.

Applications are now open from September 12 to Australia and New Zealand residents for the 2022 Boot Camp and will run from 10 October to 9 December (with a one week break). The initiative aims to accept up to 20 projects.

To learn more, join Google News Initiative and Fishburners for an information session on Aug 30, or apply directly at goo.gle/GNIstartupsbootcamp.  

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