Australia passed the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code in 2021 which made it easier for media companies to negotiate contracts with tech platforms.
The legislation is intended to encourage internet giants to pay regional news publishers for the content that appears on their platforms.
Speaking at the first Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) Dialogue held on Friday, Sims argued that competition regulators have a role to play in resolving disagreements between digital giants and news publishers on issues of revenue-sharing and accountability.
The Google-Facebook duopoly garnered ad sales of ₹41,115 crore in India between them in FY22.
Emma McDonald, a former Australian communications ministry advisor said that dealing with both technology giants was stressful at times as they didn’t want to enter negotiations.
“But when the media companies bandied to demand legislation, the government held its nerve and proceeded with it,” she said.
Tanmay Maheshwari, managing director of Amar Ujala and chairman of the DNPA said that Indian media knows it has to work with technology platforms but the limitations in the digital news ecosystem can’t be ignored. “The intent and purpose of the DNPA Dialogues is to create awareness of what’s right and how things can be made better,” he said.
Peter Lewis, director at The Australia Institute, said the bargaining code has changed the way news is now being covered. “We now have more journalists at work. There’s been a change in the mood in terms of journalism,” he said.
Paul Thomas, managing director of Star News Group, said collaboration between media companies is the way forward to improve the platform-publisher relationship.
According to James Meese, senior lecturer at Melbourne’s RMIT University, Canada is set to bring in legislation similar to Australia.
Google India clocked gross ad sales of ₹24,926.5 crore in FY22, a 79.4% jump over the previous year, while competitor Facebook India Online Services clocked gross ad revenue of ₹16,189 crore, a 74% year-on-year increase.
