CNN Strikes Multiyear AI Content Deal With Google
The network will be compensated for its journalism, though financial terms and how its content will be used remain unclear The post CNN Strikes Multiyear AI Content Deal With Google appeared first on TheWrap .
CNN has secured a multiyear agreement with Google to compensate the news network for expanded use of its journalism in AI products, CNN announced on Thursday. The terms of the deal, which did not disclose financial details, identified specific Google products, or whether it included AI training rights, remained undisclosed. CNN's senior vice president of strategic partnerships and business development, Sam Felix, stated that the partnership would create new avenues for audiences to access CNN's journalism while compensating the network for the utilization of its intellectual property in AI products.
Google's News AI pilot, introduced in December 2025, involved collaborations with news outlets such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Der Spiegel. The company was exploring AI-generated article summaries and audio briefings within Google News, ensuring proper attribution and providing links to original reporting. Google has been actively expanding its partnerships with news publishers, having agreed with over 3,000 publications, platforms, and content providers across more than 50 countries.
These agreements encompass expanded display rights and content delivery. CNN's partnership with Google arrives as news publishers actively seek compensation from AI companies while grappling with a decline in referral traffic from search engines. Google Search pageviews to publishers experienced a 34% year-over-year decrease, as reported by Chartbeat data.
The utilization of publishers' content in AI search features has also led to legal disputes. In October, a federal judge dismissed Penske Media Corp.'s lawsuit challenging Google's use of news articles in AI-generated search summaries, although the dismissal was without prejudice, allowing the publisher to potentially refile the case.
CNN emphasized that this new agreement aligns with its strategy of safeguarding its intellectual property while forming commercial AI partnerships. The network further revealed that it has multiple agreements in place and is continuing discussions with other companies.
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