The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the global economy, leaving most industries reeling. Publishers, as well, have been hit, with ad incomes stagnating or declining as advertisers hit stop on campaigns. 

On 17 April 2020, the segment got some relief with Google announcing a five-month waiver of ad serving expenses on Ad Manager for news publishers. Globally, numerous news publishers use GAM to serve ads to their readers. The integrated platform permits publishers to deal with their ads, get itemized insights, and increase incomes. 

Be that as it may, regardless of the increase in traffic in the midst of the pandemic lockdown, news associations have been struggling to keep their business above water. While a few advertisers have eliminated ad spends, others are choosing not to show ads on pages with coronavirus related substance, fearing negative brand affiliation. 

In an official blog post, Jason Washing, Managing Director, Global Partnerships – News at Google, explained the criticality of supporting news platforms during this phenomenal time. 

“During times of global crisis, people rely on quality journalism to stay informed and safe. And the ads that appear alongside news coverage help fund the journalists who write breaking news stories, and keep news sites and apps running.”

News partners who meet all requirements for the expense waiver will be reached by Google over the coming days and more subtleties of the necessary models will be uncovered. The expense will be deferred starting April and the distinction will be adjusted in future record articulations. It is normal that in excess of 500 publishers will be qualified with the expectation of complimentary ad serving under this initiative. 

The move is an extension of Google News Initiatives' Journalism Emergency Relief Fund, a program set up to convey help to little news publishers by reducing the expense of business and funding reporting. As a major aspect of its aid ventures, Google has declared that it will offer awards ranging somewhere in the range of thousands and a huge number of dollars to little and enormous newsrooms to assist them with tiding over the droop. Applications for help from the Journalism Emergency Relief Fund are open till 29 April. 

To counter the spread of misinformation as stories around coronavirus advance, Google has likewise dedicated $6.5 million to truth checking and curbing counterfeit news. 

Google isn't the main tech mammoth standing up on the side of publishers. A month ago, Facebook had declared that it will give $100 million to news associations influenced by the coronavirus downturn. This figure included awards of $25 million and $75 million in increased ad spending on news platforms by Facebook. 

Not long ago, AdPushup distributed a report on the effect of COVID-19 on publishers, including the key components driving this decline and how publishers can react. The report additionally includes a DIY evaluation to assist publishers with gauging their strength to this emergency and offers helpful tips on the most proficient method to offset the income decline.