Is The King Of Free About To Help News Providers Get Paid?

The New York Times is reporting that Google will soon unveil a one-click payment system for content called “Newspass.”

According to the newspaper La Repubblica, Google, a brand built on free apps for consumers, is creating the infrastructure for a system that would allow publishers to charge readers for content.

“Later this year, Google will launch an integrated payment system that will allow users to buy (news content) with one click and publishers to use a single infrastructure for Web, mobile and tablet to monetize their content,” the article suggested.

As reported by the Italian newspaper, under the plan, consumers will have a single log-in across different content sites that would be flexible enough to accommodate various kinds of payments, including long-term subscriptions and one-time micropayments.

As explained, people who surf for content behind a pay wall will see a single icon next to it and be able to one-click pay for access, similar to Google Checkout.

Even though some of the details are new, there has been nothing secret about these plans. Google has been saying for years that they have both civic and self-interest in making sure that there is a well-funded flow of reliable news and within the last year, they have committed over and over to helping publishers make that happen, including helping them get paid for their content if that is the road they choose.

Photo by Google.

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