German media mogul wants Google partnership

Posted by Lisette García on December 8, 2009 at 2:09 PM

German publisher Axel Springer has joined the chorus of publishers seeking to abandon the free-for-all Internet news business model, The New York Times reported yesterday. To achieve this goal, though, Springer plans to enlist the help of Google, the most powerful search engine, paidContent said today.

Springer's proposed partnership deviates from the emerging pack of traditional media, which has generally cast Google as the villain in this unfolding story, according to Wednesday's report in The Telegraph.

Besides working with Google on content delivery, Springer is negotiating billing of subscribers through their mobile telephone service, The Wall Street Journal today reported.

"One thing is clear: the customer wants it to be easy and quick," Springer Chief Executive Mathias Döpfner was quoted by The Journal as saying.

Meanwhile, the identity of several publishers involved in a Hearst Corp. initiative to deliver a spate of news sources in a single handheld was revealed this week. Members of the consortium include Time Inc., News Corp., Hearst, Conde Nast and Meredith, AdAge Thursday reported.

YuMe has landed the contract for providing streaming video advertising to the platform, Global Print Monitor today reported.

Springer publishes more than 150 editorial products in at least 30 countries.