Google is pulling the plugs on its 'First Click Free' program, that allowed users free access to articles on subscription-based news websites, a policy that was quite unpopular among publishers.
The announcement was made by News Corp CEO, Robert Thomson, who led the campaign against Google's strategy of raking in huge profits through free content aggregated from publishers. Mr. Thomson's statement read:
"There are many things to be negotiated, but just as a sign of a significant change, Google has indicated to us that they’ll bring First Click Free to an end."
Once the 'First Click Free' program comes to an end, publishers will be free to offer sample articles to users, but if they refuse to do so, their Google search ranking won't be affected.