Nigeria TV Info – Africa Media & Tech News

Google to Pay Over $40 Million to South African News Organisations After Landmark Competition Inquiry

Google has agreed to pay more than $40 million to support South African news organisations, following a groundbreaking inquiry by the Competition Commission of South Africa (CompCom) which found that the tech giant had significantly reduced the monetisation opportunities that once sustained the country’s media industry.

The Commission announced the payment in its final report released on Thursday, outlining how global digital platforms—led by Google—have reshaped the way South Africans consume information.

According to CompCom, the inquiry revealed that Google, alongside major platforms such as Meta and Microsoft, “dominates key gateways through which South Africans access information.”

The report highlighted Google’s powerful position in the digital ecosystem, noting that news accounts for 5–10 percent of search queries and helps drive user engagement that Google monetises through commercial advertising.

Despite the heavy dependence on news content, the Commission found that local media companies have not received compensation for their content.

“Google does however not compensate South African media for the news content it displays or summarises. Referral traffic to media websites has declined sharply as users increasingly consume AI-generated summaries or remain on Google’s own platforms,” the report stated.

The ruling marks a major win for South African media houses, which have long argued that global tech platforms benefit from their journalism without offering fair payment.

The $40 million settlement is expected to support newsroom sustainability, fund training programs, and strengthen digital transformation efforts across the country’s media landscape.