News Showcase is launching in Finland
Last year, we launched Google News in Finland to help people find useful and relevant news stories from a variety of sources. Google News helps readers discover local and national news content and drives traffic to publishers’ websites.
Today we are announcing another way for news organizations and people in Finland to connect with the launch of Google News Showcase, our curated online news experience and licensing program. Sanoma Media Finland and Keskisuomalainen have signed on as inaugural partners for News Showcase in Finland. These publishers represent 24 news publications, and we look forward to opportunities to partner with more publishers as we roll this product out in the market.
Participating publishers will create News Showcase panels, which provide more ways for readers to engage with the news and direct them to full articles on news publications’ websites. This enables publishers to deepen their relationships with readers and gives them more direct control of presentation and branding. News Showcase panels from our partners in Finland have begun rolling out on Google News on Android, iOS and the web, and in Discover on iOS and Android.
An example of how News Showcase will look with some of our partners in Finland.
“Google News Showcase increases the visibility of our strong news brands even further,” says Vesa-Pekka Kangaskorpi, CEO of Keskisuomalainen. “Finns appreciate reliable domestic news services. Now we have the opportunity to reach readers through a new way and more strongly bring out topics that affect all Finns.”
News Showcase publishers in Finland have elected to add a feature where Google pays for readers’ access to a limited amount of their paywalled content. This provides readers access to more of a publication’s articles than they would otherwise be able to see, encouraging readers to learn more about the publication — and potentially subscribe.
An example of how a variety of News Showcase panel types will look with some of our partners in Finland.
Globally, we have signed News Showcase deals with over 2,500 publications. The product is live in 25 countries, including the United States, France, Spain, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Romania and Slovenia.
“Through Google News Showcase we believe we can reach audiences that we cannot reach in other channels,” says Petteri Putkiranta, President of News and Feature at Sanoma Media Finland. “For us, this is a new way to promote independent journalism and be present and relevant to people.”
Our partnership with the news industry in Finland
Today’s News Showcase launch is the latest step in our work with journalists and publishers in Finland to help advance the digital transformation of their news organizations. We’ve previously supported Finnish publishers through innovation projects to grow their subscriber base, and last year, we hosted an event as part of Finland’s media literacy week where journalists, academics, NGO representatives and local governmental officials discussed fighting misinformation online.
We look forward to continuing our support to Finnish journalists and publishers in their mission to provide people with sustainable access to diverse, high-quality content.
