The Google News Initiative is partnering with Lee
Enterprises and its digital technology subsidiary, TownNews, to expedite the
development of a machine learning-based paywall technology.
“Google and TownNews are the leading technology
providers for our industry, and Google ML, coupled with TownNews’ technology
platform, is ideally suited to turn data we’re already gathering into action,”
said Lee Vice President of Digital James Green. “We know that users engage with
local news in a variety of ways across our sites. Some visit daily, while
others visit much less frequently. By applying artificial intelligence to
information such as frequency of use, the type of content viewed, and the location
of the user, we can better serve our readers and reach our audience goals.”
According to Green, the amount of content a
user consumes before being encouraged to subscribe would vary based on the
user’s previous actions and a model developed by Google ML, Lee and TownNews.
Those readers who are deemed more likely to subscribe would receive fewer
content views, while those with a lower probability may be served a larger
amount of content to sample.
“The great benefit of metering the use of our
sites is that it supports the high value of our unique local content and drives
digital subscriptions,” Green added. “But, it does create challenges in that it
limits our opportunity to serve advertising to our users. We believe that a
smart, dynamic meter is a huge step forward because it is a means to support
both revenue streams.”
Testing on the program is set to start in
December.
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