Meath Chronicle goes live on Google News Showcase
Showcase, the new product experience and licensing programme for news, provides new ways for readers to access and understand the stories that matter to them.
Google News Showcase will begin rolling out with national, regional and local publishers includuing the Meath Chronicle today.
Showcase, the new product experience and licensing programme for news, provides new ways for readers to access and understand the stories that matter to them.
There are 40 national and regional publications providing content for readers, which includes the Chronicle's sister Celtic Media Group titles Connaught Telegraph, Westmeath Examiner, Westmeath Independent and Anglo Celt. National titles include The Irish Times, Irish Mirror, The Journal and more.
Backed by a $1 billion investment in news around the world, Google News Showcase gives news organisations the ability to curate news content on Google’s News and Discover platforms for their readers, giving better context to stories and connecting readers with the news that matters to them.
News Showcase panels display an enhanced view of an article or articles, giving publishers more ways to bring news to readers and explain it in their own voice, along with more direct control of presentation and their branding.
People who click on News Showcase panels are sent directly to the publisher’s website to read the full story, driving valuable traffic and enabling publishers to deepen their relationships with readers.
People will see panels from publishers they follow in their personalised feeds, and they might also see panels from publishers they’re less familiar with, presented as options in the Google News “For You” feed and inside “Newsstand,” the discovery area of Google News.
Anthony Nakache, Director of Online Partnerships, EMEA, Google, said: “The rollout of Google News Showcase in Ireland represents the next step for Google and publishers creating a sustainable model for news.
"We are committed to continuously supporting journalism, and investing in this support, and I’m pleased to see Google News Showcase launch in Ireland with such a high volume of high-calibre publications.
"Over the coming months, we’ll be working closely with our news partners and taking on board their feedback while also bringing new publishers to the Showcase programme with more publications and content accessible to Irish readers.”
Peter Vandermeersch, Publisher, Mediahuis Ireland, said “We are pleased to have reached this important agreement with Google which represents the culmination of months of detailed discussions to recognise the value of our high-quality, trusted content. As the largest newspaper publisher on the island of Ireland, our participation in News Showcase within the Irish market represents an experiment on behalf of the wider Mediahuis group to test the opportunity for further expansion of our content to reach a qualified engaged audience. We look forward to learning how News Showcase can drive increased reader engagement over the coming months.”
As part of licensing agreements with publishers for News Showcase, Google is also paying participating news organizations to give readers access to a limited amount of paywalled content, giving readers the opportunity to read more of a publisher’s articles than they would otherwise be able to access.
“As one of the leading local news publishers in Ireland, Celtic Media Group welcomes the opportunity to be a launch partner for Google News Showcase,” said Frank Mulrennan, the CEO of Celtic Media Group. “We see it as a real opportunity to further build our audience through the enhanced profile of the panels which then drive readers back to our publisher sites for the fuller story. We have been impressed by the News Showcase induction programme and the ease of panel compilation for our journalists.”
Google News Showcase is part of Google’s commitment to the future of news in Ireland. Google Ireland supports news publishers in a number of other ways including through innovation funding, programs to support business sustainability like the Digital Growth Programme, and training for almost 2,000 Irish journalists and journalism students through the Google News Lab.
The full list of publications currently participating in Google News Showcase includes Donegal Daily, Clare Echo, Journal Media, IrishMirror.ie, DublinLive, Rsvp Live, Cork Beo, Buzz.ie, The Limerick Leader, Kildare Now, Derry Now, Offaly Express, Donegal Live, Dundalk Democrat, Longford Leader, Tipperary Live, Leinster Express, Carlow Live, Kilkenny People, Leinster Leader, Leitrim Observer, Waterford Live, Connacht Telegraph, Meath Chronicle, Anglo Celt, Westmeath Examiner, Westmeath Independent, Offaly Independent, Irish Times, Breaking News, Echo Live, Irish Examiner, Carlow Nationalist, Laois Nationalist, Waterford News and Star, Kildare Nationalist, Roscommon Herald, Western People