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Google News Showcase is a paid curation and content-licensing program, not a requirement for appearing in Google News. Apple’s News Partner Program instead offers eligible publishers a possible commission rate on qualifying in-app subscriptions, while Microsoft Start was described in a 2025 South African regulator report as licensing full articles for on-platform reading and sharing some story-page ad revenue. These programs monetize different things, so their payment terms and audience value are not directly interchangeable.
What Google News Showcase pays for—and what it does not
Google describes News Showcase as a global content-licensing program that pays participating publishers to curate journalism. Panels can carry publisher branding and added context, such as timelines, bullet points, and related stories. Google says the product appears in Google News and Discover in selected countries and regions.
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Google’s explanation for Canada describes the payment as a monthly fee for curation and, in some cases, access to a limited amount of paywalled content. The arrangement is not pay-per-click: traffic or new subscribers generated by a panel are additional to the fee, according to Google. Panels can direct readers to the publisher’s site. Google does not publish a standard rate card or publisher-specific contract amounts in that explanation.
Showcase is separate from ordinary Google News eligibility
Google Publisher Center says content that meets its policies is automatically considered for Google News; Showcase is a separate paid program. Google’s 2025 announcement about the transition of publication pages said the change did not affect eligibility for Google News surfaces. Showcase should not be treated as a prerequisite for inclusion or as a promised ranking boost.
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How the three models compare
| Program | What the documented arrangement pays for | Where readers consume the news | What is known about reach or eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google News Showcase | Google describes monthly fees for curation and, in some cases, access to selected paywalled articles. It is not pay-per-click. | Branded panels in Google News and Discover can send readers to the publisher’s site. | Google reported more than 2,300 publications in 22 countries as of June 2023. That is a historical, company-reported figure, not a current verified count. |
| Apple News Partner Program | Eligible publishers may qualify for a 15% commission rate on qualifying in-app purchase subscriptions from day one. This is a subscription commission condition, not a curation-license payment. | Apple News channel and publisher app/subscription relationship. | Apple sets channel, format, app, and subscription requirements; qualifying language applies. |
| Microsoft Start | A 2025 South African Competition Commission report says Microsoft licensed full articles and shared story-page display-ad revenue with licensed publishers, but not interstitial-ad revenue. | Readers could read the licensed article on Microsoft Start rather than being redirected to the publisher’s webpage, according to the report. | The account is from a South African market inquiry, not a current global offer sheet. |
Apple News Partner Program: a subscription-based comparison
Apple’s News Partner Program is designed for subscription news publications that provide content in Apple News Format. Apple says publishers that work with Apple News may qualify for a 15% commission rate on qualifying in-app purchase subscriptions from day one. The rate is tied to eligible subscriptions through the app; it should not be read as 15% of all publisher revenue or as a flat fee for licensing stories.
Apple’s published eligibility conditions
- The publisher must maintain a robust Apple News channel in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom and publish all content to that channel in Apple News Format.
- Publishers based outside those regions that do not publish in Apple News Format must share content by RSS.
- The publisher’s app must primarily deliver original, professionally authored news, be available on the App Store, and offer auto-renewable subscriptions through Apple’s in-app purchase system.
- The Account Holder must agree to a separate addendum.
Apple’s terms use “may qualify” and “qualifying” language. A publisher should confirm that its channel, app, and subscription setup meet the current requirements before assuming the commission rate applies.
Rank #2
Microsoft Start: full articles and on-platform advertising
The South African Competition Commission’s 2025 report describes Microsoft Start as an aggregator available on the web and in an app, with integrations including Edge’s start page and Windows news feeds. In the report’s account, Microsoft licensed full articles that readers could consume on Start, with display ads around news and on story pages. Licensed publishers shared revenue from story-page ads, but not from interstitial ads.
This differs from Showcase’s described path, where panels can send readers to publisher sites. On-platform reading may give a publisher less direct control over the reader journey than a referral to its own site, but the report does not establish what audience data, registration opportunities, or current commercial terms individual publishers receive. Its description is specific to the regulator’s South African inquiry and should not be generalized into a current worldwide Microsoft offer.
Rank #3
Facebook News is a historical comparator, not a confirmed current option
A 2022 UK government advice report described Facebook News as operating on principles similar to Showcase and having licensing deals with UK publishers at that time. That dated account establishes a historical comparison only; it does not establish that Facebook News is presently available or open to new publisher deals.
Why the payment figures are not directly comparable
Each model attaches payment to a different value: Google describes recurring curation and selected paywall-access fees; Apple describes a possible commission rate on qualifying in-app subscriptions; and the South African report describes a share of story-page advertising revenue for licensed Microsoft Start articles. A percentage, fee, or participation count cannot be compared meaningfully without knowing what rights and revenue it covers, where the offer applies, and how readers reach the content.
Rank #4
- Payment basis: Is the payment a periodic license or curation fee, a commission on transactions, an advertising-revenue share, or another formula?
- Licensed value: Does the platform pay for headline and panel curation, full articles, selected paywall access, or subscription transactions?
- Reader destination: Does the user land on the publisher’s site or app, or read within the platform?
- Publisher relationship: What registration, subscription, audience data, and reporting does the publisher receive?
- Editorial presentation: How much control does the publisher have over branding, packaging, and context?
- Eligibility and territory: Which publisher types, formats, apps, countries, or local legal regimes apply?
- Contract rights: What are the term, renewal, exclusivity, permitted uses, and termination provisions?
The public program descriptions cited here do not establish standardized Google fees or the publisher-specific contract terms for any of these programs. Nor do they settle all questions about data, reporting, duration, or rights. Those points require the actual current offer and agreement for the publisher’s territory.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Territory can change the negotiating context
On December 19, 2025, Spain’s National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) announced a settlement after investigating Google’s negotiations with Spanish press publishers and news agencies concerning inclusion in Google Search, Google News, Discover, and News Showcase. The CNMC said Google’s commitments would increase transparency and align negotiations with Spanish law. The commitments last five years and may be renewed for another five. The regulator’s announcement described its concerns, including possible unfair terms and economic dependence; it was a settlement, not a court finding of liability.
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The Spanish outcome is specific to Spain. It illustrates why a publisher’s territory and applicable rights regime matter alongside the platform’s product description; it does not establish the legal options available to publishers elsewhere.
How publishers should evaluate an offer
- Identify the transaction. Establish whether the offer is for curation, selected paywall access, full-article rights, subscriptions, or advertising inventory.
- Map the reader path. Confirm whether readers are sent to the publisher’s own site or app, or remain on the platform, and what registration or subscription relationship the publisher can build.
- Read the territory-specific eligibility and rights grant. Check the content, formats, locations, and uses covered by the offer rather than relying on a general program description.
- Request the commercial and reporting details in writing. Confirm the amount or formula, what revenue is included or excluded, payment timing, performance reporting, and available audience data.
- Review duration and exit rights. Check the contract term, renewal, exclusivity, permitted uses, and termination provisions before comparing the offer with other routes to readers.
The useful comparison is the actual offer against the publisher’s goals: predictable licensing income, subscription conversion, advertising yield, audience relationship, or a combination. Public program pages describe broad mechanics, not enough to determine whether a particular deal is commercially favorable.
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