Germany: Axel Springer joins News Media Alliance to battle Facebook and Google

Axel Springer, the largest digital publishing house in Europe, is joining the News Media Alliance, a trade group which represents and lobbies on behalf of the print and digital news industry. It is the first time a non-American publisher is joining the alliance, which will benefit from having a vocal and powerful partner as media companies wrangle with how to survive in the digital age.

“For us, it’s a new beginning of working on political matters in the United States and it’s very important that different publishers … are defining their interests toward search engines and news aggregators so we compete on a level playing field and to get a value chain that helps both sides to survive,” said Dietrich von Klaeden, Axel Springer’s senior vice president for public affairs.

The news publishing business used to be highly defined by geography, but as internet and social media companies continue to serve users across the globe, the News Media Alliance and Axel Springer said they, too, shouldn’t be bound by borders.

News Media Alliance president David Chavern said in an interview that having Axel Springer on board will bring expertise in their fight for ad dollars with Facebook and Google, which according to several estimates, take up more than three quarters of online digital advertising money. Axel Springer is the largest digital publisher in Europe and owns some of the biggest German papers like Bild and Die Welt. Axel Springer is also partnered with POLITICO Europe and owns the US-based website, Business Insider.

Full Content: Poynter

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