"Google's AI Summaries have already stirred up major opposition from the publishing industry since rolling out in May 2024, with trade groups claiming the service is making a serious dent in both their clicks and revenue. Now, Penske Media (PMC), the company behind brands like Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter, is suing Google."
"The company's lawyers go on to claim that "Google's conduct threatens to leave the public with an increasingly unrecognizable Internet experience, in which users never leave Google's walled garden and receive only synthetic, error-ridden answers in response to their queries." PMC claims that 20% of Google search results that link to one of its outlets' websites include AI overviews and that its affiliate revenue had declined by more than a third by the end of 2024 compared to its peak."
"Last month, a member survey from Digital Content Next (DCN), a nonprofit group that represents many of the best-known names in publishing, found that median year-over-year referral traffic from Google Search was down 10% in May and June. Some of the worst-hit publishers reported click-through declines of as much as 25%."
Google's AI Summaries launched in May 2024 and have prompted opposition from publishers, who say the feature reduces clicks and revenue. Penske Media (PMC), owner of Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter, sued Google in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleging abuse of its search monopoly to coerce publishers and republish content without permission in AI-generated answers, violating antitrust laws. PMC says 20% of Google results linking to its outlets include AI overviews and claims affiliate revenue fell more than a third by the end of 2024. A DCN survey found median referral traffic from Google Search down 10%, with some publishers reporting 25% declines. Google contends AI Summaries can increase "high-quality clicks," where users stay to browse the website.
Read at PCMAG
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