Google had announced plans to launch News Showcase in Australia last June, signing deals with six small local outlets, including The Conversation, for content. Read MoreA spokesman for Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) owned Google in Australia declined to comment on Wednesday. Two other local publishers confirmed they had content details in place for the new site, without discussing recent talks. Google Australia Chief Executive Mel Silva told a parliamentary hearing last week the company would pull its flagship search tool from Australia if the laws, the first of their kind in the world, went ahead. Under the planned laws, Google and social media behemoth Facebook Inc must negotiate binding commercial contracts with Australian outlets whose content drives traffic to their platforms.

Source: Standard Digital January 27, 2021 06:33 UTC