Google has agreed to a 688 million rand (≈$40.4M) package to support South African news organisations after a 16-month Competition Commission probe that found Google Search favoured international outlets. The deal allocates funds to national publishers, AI innovation, and community media, and includes commitments to new tools, technical support, and improved audience data. TikTok pledged features to help publishers monetise off-platform, while X failed to settle and was ordered to open monetisation programs and provide training. Regulators say the measures aim to correct algorithmic bias and bolster struggling local media.
Google to Pay Over $40M to South African News Outlets After Competition Probe — Platforms Must Tackle Algorithmic Bias
Google has agreed to a 688 million rand (≈$40.4M) package to support South African news organisations after a 16-month Competition Commission probe that found Google Search favoured international outlets. The deal allocates funds to national publishers, AI innovation, and community media, and includes commitments to new tools, technical support, and improved audience data. TikTok pledged features to help publishers monetise off-platform, while X failed to settle and was ordered to open monetisation programs and provide training. Regulators say the measures aim to correct algorithmic bias and bolster struggling local media.
07:53 PM, 11/13/2025Economy
Google agrees funding package after 16-month Competition Commission probe
Google has agreed to provide a funding package worth 688 million rand (about $40.4 million) to support South African news organisations, the country's Competition Commission said in its final report following a 16-month investigation. The probe concluded that Google Search tended to prioritise international news over local outlets, harming the distribution and monetisation prospects of domestic publishers.
How the funding will be allocated
- $4 million (over five years) for national publishers and broadcasters to support content on Google News.
- $2.6 million per year to back AI-related innovation and related development.
- $2.2 million (spread over three years) to help community and smaller local media with digital transformation.
The Competition Commission also said Google will roll out new user tools to prioritise local news sources, provide technical assistance to improve website performance, and share enhanced audience data with publishers. YouTube has agreed to support creators and publishers with improved monetisation options.
Other platforms and regulatory actions
The commission criticised several major platforms — including TikTok, X and Facebook — for practices it said disadvantaged South African publishers. Chinese-owned TikTok committed to new features that will let publishers insert links inside videos to direct audiences off-platform for monetisation. X (formerly Twitter), owned by South African-born Elon Musk, did not reach a settlement; the commission has ordered X to open all monetisation programmes to local publishers and to run training workshops. That directive can be appealed.
The platforms have also committed to addressing algorithmic bias that favoured foreign outlets over local news organisations. Similar funding and content-remedy arrangements have been pursued or reached in countries including Taiwan, Canada, Australia and the United States as regulators press tech firms to reduce bias and support local journalism.
Competition Commission: The remedies are intended to restore fairness in digital news distribution, improve local publishers' ability to monetise content, and support innovation across the media sector.