New Zealand: Introduced Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill in New Zealand

On 17 August 2023, the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill, aimed at regulating content remuneration between news publishers and digital platforms, was introduced to the New Zealand Parliament. The Bill aims to ensure that news publishers are fairly compensated for the use of their content by digital platforms, including online advertising providers, search service providers, and various platform intermediaries. The Bill establishes a framework for negotiations, a bargaining code, and a process for arbitration, aiming to address the bargaining power imbalance between news publishers and digital platforms. The Bill allows New Zealand news publishers to require digital platforms to negotiate the value of their news content, providing a potential new revenue stream for financial sustainability. It enables collective bargaining without Commerce Commission authorisation and mandates negotiations without prescribing outcomes. Digital platforms that do not profit from New Zealand news are exempt from these arrangements.