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Apr 17, 2020 - Economy

Google waives ad serving fees for news publishers globally

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Photo: Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Google said Thursday that it's waiving fees for the next five months that news publishers must pay to serve up ads using its "Google Ad Manager" technology.

Why it matters: The announcement comes days after Google announced a journalism emergency relief fund for local news. Google and its tech rivals Facebook and Twitter are stepping up to provide relief to local news outlets during the coronavirus because their platforms' users are reliant on that content.

Yes, but: Not all publishers pay Google directly to access its ad serving tools.

  • Google usually works directly with publishers that reach a certain traffic threshold.
  • Smaller publishers, including many local outlets, typically access the Google Ad Manager tool through third-party resale companies.
  • Google will be working with those resellers to offer ad serving discounts to news publishers producing original journalism, which may include some local news producers.
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