Media24 CEO Ishmet Davidson says Google’s dominance on the internet has left media companies vulnerable. Davidson says some companies are scrambling to survive.
Davidson made a presentation at the public hearings on the Competition Commission Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry in Pretoria on Tuesday.
“The impact of Google’s dominance on our media business. Ours being Media24. Over the past seven years, newspaper advertising and circulation revenue has more than halved, declined by 52% over the seven-year period, leaving our newspaper business on its last legs.”
Meanwhile, Moneyweb financial journalist, Ryk van Niekerk says Google changes the way stories and content is found and this costs publishers money.
He says Google’s dominance has brought about many changes in the media space.
“I think it will be good for Google to maybe appreciate the mainstream news websites or content providers as to changing the algorithm and it affects everyone. In fact, when they do it, it doesn’t only have a traffic implication, it also costs us money.”
Media24 accuses Google of abusing its dominance:
