An association made up of the South Africa's largest media houses, the Publisher Support Services (PSS), wants Google and Meta to compensate news outlets for the content they use on their platforms, a move which it says is meant to ensure the sustainability of the local news industry.
The proposal is contained in a submission to the Competition Commission as part its market inquiry into online platforms operating in the country.
The association is lobbying body to promote the interests of print and digital media at all levels of government and relevant stakeholders. Its members are Arena Holdings, the publisher of Sunday Times; Media24; Caxton; Independent Newspapers; the Mail & Guardian; and the Association of Independent Publishers.
According to the chairperson of PSS and Mail & Guardian Media CEO, Hoosain Karjieker, platforms such as Google and Meta, the owner of Facebook, have been using South African publishers' content at no cost to grow their market dominance.
"The main objective of our challenge is to protect the future sustainability of the local news industry. The proposed draft legislation aims to ensure fair and equitable remuneration for South African news media businesses, large and small, for the use of their content," he said.
Karjieker said similar initiatives in other parts of the world, notably Australia and Europe, had forced online platforms to "agree on fair compensation to publishers for their content". The companies are appealing to other news organisations in the country to join the campaign.
The submission of the proposed draft legislation follows the association's presentation in February before the Competition Commission's market inquiry into online platforms operating in South Africa. A few global platforms had elected not to participate in the public hearings, despite their material presence in the country.