New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS): Google News Showcase, which was launched in October last year and has signed deals with more than 1,000 news publications including in India, has seen publishers creating over one million panels for readers to date.

People have tapped the Follow button on News Showcase panels over 1.5 million times, which shows that they are looking for more content from their favourite publishers or ones they have just discovered.

"To further strengthen these relationships, we offer News Showcase readers the ability to read expanded access to select content from publishersm" said ," Brad Bender, VP Product Management, News.

"This feature means readers will have the opportunity to read more of a publisher's articles, encouraging them to learn more about the publication — and potentially subscribe," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Combined together, these features and numbers show that the product is supporting news organizations' mission of reaching readers and helping to bring a deeper engagement.

"More than 90 per cent of the publications that are part of News Showcase represent local or community news. Local news is an essential way for readers to connect to their communities and ensure they get the news that impacts their day-to-day lives," Bender noted.

News Showcase panels can appear across Google, currently on News and Discover, and direct readers to the full articles on publishers' websites, helping them deepen their relationships with readers.

In addition to the revenue that comes directly from these more-engaged readers, participating publishers will receive monthly licensing payments from Google.

"We're continuing to work with news organizations to learn more about how people engage with News Showcase to ensure we're delivering on our long-term goal of strengthening the relationship between readers and publishers," Google said.