News feeds are no longer free: policy implications from Australia

In 2021, the Australian Government introduced its News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code (‘the Code’) to support the sustainability of the country’s journalism. Using Event Study Methodology, we find a collectively positive stock market reaction in the news media industry to the introduction of the Code, although different patterns amongst individual firms and groups by size to the different stages of the Code’s development. The large-firm group records larger gain in terms of equity value, but a lower percentage gain than small and medium enterprises. The economic importance of our findings reinforces the Australian Government’s regulatory approach as a means to sustain the legitimate interest of businesses and consumers in the news media sector.