Google and YouTube Commit R688 Million to Support South Africa’s News Media

Google  and YouTube  have agreed to establish a R688 million media support package to fund national, community, and vernacular media in South Africa. This package follows findings from the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI), which highlighted an imbalance in bargaining power and compensation between global digital platforms and the South African news media sector.

The Inquiry, launched in October 2023, found that Google and YouTube dominate the primary gateways through which South Africans access news content. The platforms reproduce and summarize local news without providing compensation, giving them a disproportionate share of value compared with South African publishers. Additionally, Google monetizes user engagement through advertising while local media remain uncompensated, further exacerbating inequities in the sector.

The R688 million support package is designed to address these imbalances and promote sustainability in South Africa’s media ecosystem. It includes financial compensation for the use of news content, funding for newsroom innovation, contributions to the Digital News Transformation Fund, and support for vernacular-language training via the Media Development & Diversity Agency (MDDA). Technical assistance will also be provided, including new tools to prioritize local news sources, enhanced audience data sharing, and improvements to website performance.

As part of the broader remedy framework, an African News Innovation Forum will be established to foster collaboration and innovation. The final report also outlines additional measures for other digital platforms, including requiring Meta to create a Media Liaison Office in South Africa and ensuring YouTube provides automatic access to its Partner Programme for all South African media.