Globally, we have signed News Showcase deals with over 2,500 publications. The product is live in 24 countries, including the United States, France, Spain, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Romania and Slovenia.

“Storytelling has always been at the core of our work as news editors and content creators,” says Vladislava Lazarova, Executive Producer at BTV Media Group. “Stories — whether written or passed down by word of mouth — have been a driving force in the world for centuries. The launch of Google News Showcase in Bulgaria will give the bTV Media Group digital outlets further opportunities to reach audiences directly so we can continue to tell and share the stories that really matter.”

“As one of the leading media groups in Bulgaria, we are excited for the launch of Google News Showcase,” says Venelina Gocheva, CEO of 24 Chasa Group. “We believe this Google product will enrich our loyal readers and introduce our content to new and diverse audiences. Content curated by our experienced editors is needed now more than ever — to battle disinformation, provide diversity of opinions, expand readers’ worldview, and deliver stories people can relate to.”

Our partnership with the news industry in Bulgaria

Over the past year, we’ve built on our long standing collaboration with publishers and journalists in Bulgaria by launching multiple new projects focused on tackling misinformation, evolving business models and promoting innovation, including:

• We partnered with the Association of European Journalists in Bulgaria to help expand Factcheck.bg, which is certified by the International Fact-Checking Network, and develop sCOOL Media, a project to empower youth to combat misinformation and promote a sustainable news ecosystem.
• The Google News Initiative and FT Strategies worked together on a project to assist a leading Bulgarian business publication in creating a data-driven approach to grow their subscriber base.
• In 2023, we continued to invest in the AI design sprint training in London and held a workshop in Bucharest aimed at empowering publishers to innovate and grow revenue that several publishers from Bulgaria and across Central and Eastern Europe attended.
• Through the Google News Initiative, we’ve trained journalists across newsrooms in Bulgaria and fact checking organizations in digital verification skills, advanced research and tools to support investigative journalism efforts.

The launch of News Showcase in the country is the latest example of our commitment to journalism and partnership with news organizations. We look forward to continuing to work together with journalists and publishers in Bulgaria to help them fight misinformation, innovate and grow reader revenue.