Google to Start Paying for News Content in Australia, Germany and Brazil

Google just announced a licensing program to pay publishers for high-quality content for a new news experience launching later this year. This program will help participating publishers monetize their content through an enhanced storytelling experience that lets people go deeper into more complex stories, stay informed and be exposed to a world of different issues and interests. It starts with local and national publications in Germany, Australia and Brazil.

Where available, Google will also offer to pay for free access for users to read paywalled articles on a publisher’s site. This will let paywalled publishers grow their audiences and open an opportunity for people to read content they might not ordinarily see.

I have a suspicion that this content will reside on Google’s platform and not be something where Google will send the traffic to the publisher’s site since they are paying for the content. What do you all think?