Google, YouTube R688 million support package to boost SA media

THE R688 million Media Support Package over five years, as agreed with Google and YouTube, will fund national, community and vernacular media through a combination of content licensing, innovation grants, and capacity-building initiatives.

- ZELDA VENTER

It includes support for newsroom innovation, contributions to the Digital News Transformation Fund, and funding for vernacular-language training through the Media Development & Diversity Agency (MDDA).

The support package was announced at the final Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry report launched yesterday by the Competition Commission.

Google will also introduce new user tools to prioritise local news sources, provide technical assistance to improve website performance, share enhanced audience data, and establish an African News Innovation Forum. Microsoft, in turn, will extend its MSN news contracts to include five additional national publishers.

The commission’s inquiry found that Google has a monopoly over the sharing of news media on the internet through search. Google and a number of other technical companies, however, agreed to changes which would benefit South Africa’s media.