Google has launched a global program called the GNI Digital Growth Program to help small and mid-sized news publishers with their digital transformation. “This is a free program aimed at helping small and mid-sized news publishers around the world develop the capabilities required to accelerate the growth of their businesses online,” Google said in an official blog post.

The program is built upon the Google News Initiative launched in 2018. It has been built in collaboration with industry experts including FT Strategies, FTI Consulting and Mather Economics, plus news industry associations including INMA, Local Media Association and WAN-IFRA, Google said.

The program will initially cover five topic areas including Reader Revenue, Audience Development, Advertising Revenue, Data and Product. “Our curriculum includes playbooks full of real-world examples, interactive exercises to help solve business problems, workshops to bring these lessons to life and Labs to provide hands-on advisory support. At first, we’re focusing on our Reader Revenue pillar, with other topic areas coming over the next few months,” Google said.

Resources such as the free playbooks and exercises can be accessed online while the workshops will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. Labs will be available upon application.

Google had launched a similar edition of the program in Europe before taking it global. It has expanded the program into 10 languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Polish, German, Korean, Japanese and Bahasa Indonesia.

“As the curriculum evolves over time, we will introduce specialty sessions for publishers, such as Print-to-Digital Transformation and Digital Startups,” Google added.

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