The big revamp of Google News in 2018 introduced a “Full Coverage” feature that brings together context and other perspectives for major stories in one feed, and it’s now coming to Search.
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Google today added a new Google News performance report to Google Search Console. Google Search Console allows webmasters to track the performance of their web pages in Google Search, long offering insights into Google Search rich snippets like Top Stories, and other Google products like Discover. Now it offers extensive information about content performance in Google News.
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Back in October, Google unveiled a $1 billion plan to pay publishers for content that appears in its “News Showcase” carousel. Google News Showcase is expanding today with a number of updates.
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After adding a Web Stories carousel, Google Discover is making two tweaks to cards. The first sees a “heart” being used for feedback, while Discover on some articles will link to Google News full coverage.
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Back in June, Google announced that it would license content from news publishers for a new feature that would appear across its products. The company today unveiled “Google News Showcase” and a $1 billion investment.
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If you open up the Google News app today and see a notice that you’re using a confidential “dogfood” build, you’re not alone.
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Back in November, Google Assistant augmented user-curated “News briefings” with a personalized “mix of top headlines and stories based on your interests.” “Your News Update” is now coming to Google Podcasts, while more natural text-to-speech is also available.
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In a nod to its “News & Weather” origins, Google News has always included the current temperature and condition at the top of the app. A recent update sees Google News add weather alerts.
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Back in April, Google introduced easy access to COVID-19 information across Assistant, Podcasts, and News. The latest feature for the latter app surfaces local information, including reopening timelines.
Google announced today that it will pay publishers for high-quality content. Licensed stories and articles will appear in a “new news experience launching later this year.”
Back in April, Australia set out to force Google (and Facebook) to pay local publishers for content that appears in products like Search and News. An AU$600 million to $1 billion yearly payment has recently been suggested, with Google Australia today offering a rebuttal and explaining how its business works.
Earlier this month, Google noted how coronavirus-related searches are surpassing its most common and consistent queries. For its part, the company is surfacing resources everywhere from Search to Assistant. Google Discover is now compiling COVID-19 news into one glanceable card.
The Australian government is set to force Google and Facebook to pay for local news content in the region.
With search queries about COVID-19 surpassing even those for weather and the news, Google in recent weeks has worked to compile that information together. In Google News, there is a new COVID-19 hub, while Assistant and Podcasts have similar experiences.
Digital magazines were once touted as the future (and savior) of print media. Heralded by the iPad, Google’s solution took on many forms and moved from app-to-app. Currently in Google News, the company announced that its removing and “discontinuing print-replica magazines” support.
Google News last year saw a big redesign on the web and mobile apps. The latest update introduces a “Beyond the Headlines” section to surface “more in-depth content that highlights and explores key issues in our society.”
In recent years, Google has strived to make its products work better internationally. Google News for Android and iOS now supports bilingual feeds to show stories for up to two “languages & regions of interest.”
Google News is now set to offer enhanced coverage of the world’s premier intercontinental club soccer tournament, the UEFA Champions League.
In early 2018, Google launched a “hyperlocal” news service called Bulletin. Nextdoor-esque in nature, it remained a “pilot” throughout its entire life and is now being shut down later this year.
News publishers have historically been upset with Google and Facebook over a variety of issues related to payment and content ranking. News Corp, which owns the Wall Street Journal, is now planning a Google News competitor called “Knewz.com” to address those concerns directly.
Google Search on the desktop web has seen a slew of visual refreshes in recent weeks. The latest is a substantial redesign of the News tab that does a better job of highlighting headlines and publishers.
During the Google I/O 2019 keynote today, Google revealed a big change for Search. Starting later this year, the company is bringing Full Coverage and Podcasts into Google Search starting later this year.
The future of Google News in Europe is now in doubt as EU member states approved The EU Copyright Directive. The new law – which could see Google having to pay publishers to include brief snippets in search results – was previously passed by the European Parliament, but was subject to approval by individual countries.
Not every country agreed to implement the directive, but most did so this morning …
Relaunched last May at I/O 2018, the Material Theme and AI-powered Google News will be one year old next month. Besides text, images, and videos, an upcoming addition to Google News might be crosswords. Google News 5.10 also details possible work on more sports coverage.
