Reddit and other major publishers are considering blocking Google as AI Overviews continue to hurt their traffic

Q: What is the specific concern publishers have about Google’s AI Overviews affecting referral traffic?

Publishers are concerned that Google’s AI Overviews answer search queries directly on the results page, removing the need for users to click through to the original sites and causing referral traffic to collapse. The article cites steep drops in Google-driven organic traffic for major publishers, for example USA Today nearly 50% and Business Insider over 85%, and notes publishers worry their content is training the AI that is replacing their clicks.

Q: What options are publishers reportedly considering if Google’s AI Overviews continue to reduce their clicks?

They are considering blocking Google entirely or restricting how much access they give Google. Some publishers are rethinking licensing deals (for example Reddit is weighing whether to renew its $60 million agreement) and pushing for usage-based fees, and others are exploring opt-outs from Google’s AI training or AI Overviews controls even though that can risk search visibility. The UK Competition and Markets Authority has ordered Google to let publishers opt out of AI search features without losing traditional ranking, which Google plans to test in Britain.

Q: What was the value and purpose of Reddit’s 2024 licensing deal with Google that’s up for renewal?

Reddit signed a $60 million per year licensing deal with Google in 2024. The deal gave Google access to Reddit’s large archive of user content for AI training.

Q: What tradeoff does Google’s current system create when publishers opt out of Gemini training via Google-Extended?

Opting out via Google-Extended stops a publisher’s content from being used to train Gemini, but it also risks that the publisher’s content will be excluded from AI Overviews and may lose visibility in conventional search results. This creates a tradeoff between protecting content from AI training and preserving referral traffic and search visibility.

USA Today traffic fell nearly 50%, Business Insider dropped over 85%, and Reddit is reconsidering a $60 million Google licensing deal up for renewal.

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Hassam Nasir

Tech Reporter

Published Jul 22, 2026 11:45 PM CDT

1 minute & 45 seconds read time

TL;DR: Publishers increasingly blame Google's AI Overviews for steep drops in referral traffic-USA Today ~50%, Business Insider >85%, Politico 23%, CNN ~25%-and are reconsidering access, licensing (Reddit's $60M deal renewal) and legal or opt-out measures as Google tests controls amid regulatory scrutiny.

Voice: Hassam NasirSpeed

0:00 / 3:37

Google's push to turn Search into an AI answer engine is creating a serious problem for the publishers it depends on for content. Some of them are now openly considering blocking Google entirely.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Reddit, USA Today, Reuters, Politico, The Economist, and People Inc. are all reconsidering how much access they give Google as referral traffic continues to collapse. The core issue is Google's AI Overviews, which answer search queries directly on the results page, removing the need to click through to the source.

Semrush data shows Google-driven organic traffic to USA Today's US site fell by nearly half between June 2025 and June 2026. Politico was down 23%, CNN lost around 25%, and Business Insider's traffic dropped more than 85%.

"It's time to take a stand and say enough is enough," said USA Today CEO Mike Reed, who added that blocking Google entirely is on the table if the decline continues. USA Today is also already suing Google over an alleged ad-tech monopoly.

Reddit and other major publishers are considering blocking Google as AI Overviews continue to hurt their traffic 2

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Reddit signed a $60 million per year licensing deal with Google in 2024, giving the search giant access to its enormous archive for AI training. That deal is now up for renewal, and Reddit is reportedly weighing whether it still makes sense. CEO Steve Huffman has made clear he understands the leverage Reddit holds.

"There is no artificial intelligence without actual intelligence, and that comes from Reddit," he told analysts on the company's Q1 earnings call. Executives are reportedly pushing for usage-based fees that scale as Reddit's content becomes more central to AI-generated search. Reddit shares fell nearly 9% following the WSJ report. Wells Fargo warned the company could lose up to $500 million in AI licensing revenue if it walks away from Google.

Google currently bundles its web crawling for traditional search indexing and its AI training into the same systems. Publishers can opt out of having their content used for Gemini training through Google-Extended, but preventing content from appearing in AI Overviews risks losing visibility in conventional search results too.

Reddit and other major publishers are considering blocking Google as AI Overviews continue to hurt their traffic 3

In June, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority ordered Google to let publishers opt out of AI search features without losing their place in traditional results. Google says it will test that approach in Britain before rolling it out globally, but has not given a timeline.

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Question #1

What is the specific concern publishers have about Google’s AI Overviews affecting referral traffic?

Question #2

What options are publishers reportedly considering if Google’s AI Overviews continue to reduce their clicks?

Question #3

What was the value and purpose of Reddit’s 2024 licensing deal with Google that’s up for renewal?

Question #4

What tradeoff does Google’s current system create when publishers opt out of Gemini training via Google-Extended?

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Google, for its part, insists its AI features still send billions of clicks to the web every week and that it offers clear controls for publishers to manage their content. Publishers are increasingly questioning the logic of an arrangement in which their work trains the systems that are replacing their traffic.