SYDNEY - [AAP] Fairfax Media (ASX: FXJ) has partnered with tech giant Google to boost its digital advertising and publishing technology and drive digital subscriptions.

The media publisher said the deal will help it sell and market advertising across its metropolitan papers including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, WAtoday, Canberra Times, Brisbane Times, and lifestyle properties.

Fairfax's commercial team will begin working with Google in 2018, focusing on premium ad products, key client relationships and innovative commercial solutions.

The two companies will also work together to drive publishing technology, digital innovation, digital subscriptions growth and the publisher's use of data, Fairfax said in a statement on Tuesday.

Fairfax managing director of Australian metro publishing Chris Janz described the deal as a "continued investment in journalism" and said it was a big step forward for the company.

"We are bringing the very best that Fairfax has to offer together with the smarts and capability of Google," Mr Janz said.

"The result will be a stronger Fairfax Media and continued investment in journalism."

Fairfax Media swung into the black in 2016/17 with an $83.9 million profit, bouncing back from the prior year's write-down-heavy $893.5 million loss.

Its newspaper division, containing The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, achieved earnings growth in the year when journalists held a strike in response to more than 100 newsroom redundancies.

Chief executive Greg Hywood said Fairfax had rebuilt its publishing technology "from the ground up" and was stepping up to ensure the company, media and shareholders benefit.

"We expect upside performance from this partnership will allow us to make new investment in our journalism," Mr Hywood said.

Google's managing director, Jason Pellegrino, said the Silicon Valley giant had been working with publishing partners in Australia for a long time.

"This deepening of our partnership with Fairfax allows us to jointly demonstrate the power of programmatic sales by combining Google's best-in-class technology with Fairfax's quality brands and deeply engaged audiences," Mr Pellegrino said.

Fairfax shares were down 0.98 per cent at 75.75 cents at 1037 AEDT on Tuesday.

 

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