In a clear display of Big Tech’s outsized market power, a last-minute closed door deal between Google and the state of California has succeeded in shelving popular bipartisan state legislation that would have fairly compensated local newsrooms for their valuable journalism. This sets a dangerous precedent that could cripple trusted news outlets, and lets Big Tech off the hook as they continue to siphon advertising dollars away from local broadcast stations and other news publishers while not offering fair compensation for our content.
A study by BIA estimates that broadcasters lose nearly $2 billion annually due to the use of their content by tech platforms like Google and Meta. This imbalance not only jeopardizes the sustainability of local journalism, but also threatens the quality of information available to consumers as tech platforms continue to profit from the hard work of broadcasters without fair compensation.
Alex Siciliano is SVP, Communications, National Association of Broadcasters
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