Google will begin paying select media outlets featured in a yet-to-be released news service later this year, a major business shift for the search engine after years of pressure from media companies and regulators.
The licensing deals will start in three countries and Google is in talks with publishers in six more, the company said on Thursday in a blog post.
The service will show stories from chosen publishers inside the news aggregation features, Google News and Discover.
Brad Bender, a Google vice president, wrote in the post that the company would pay for “high-quality content”.
Google’s new service will launch in Germany, Australia and Brazil, three countries where the company has faced competition complaints.
