Google says it will start paying selected publishers for “high-quality content” for the first time when it launches a new licensing programme launching later this year.

The media and tech giant has already signed up local and national publications in Germany, Australia and Brazil to use the first version of the new product.

Google said in a blog that the launch would “help participating publishers monetise their content through an enhanced storytelling experience that lets people go deeper into more complex stories, stay informed and be exposed to a world of different issues and interests”.