Even Local Newspapers Want to Play in the Online-Video Sandbox
Fascinating. Even local newspapers want a shot at online video. Some excerpts from a piece on Editor and Publisher by Kevin J. Mireles:
YouTube won the initial race out the gate, jumping from nowhere to become a top 30 site in just six months, newspapers are determined not to be left in the dust again… But while everybody wants YouTube’s audience, nobody wants the headaches associated with completely uncontrolled content because while the site is incredibly popular with viewers, it’s viewed with skepticism by most advertisers. Many advertisers wouldn’t be caught dead on YouTube due to the mix of pirated videos, porn and other unseemly stuff on the site.- So what can newspapers do to ride the consumer-generated video wave without getting pummeled in the process?
- Make a conscious transition from being strictly content creators to become local communication facilitators.
- And while it’s great to appear on YouTube or a blog, appearing in a newspaper.com provides a level of instant validation that non-traditional sites can’t.
- Newspapers, after having been left in the dust by Yahoo!, Google and others in the race to attract eyeballs and monetize the Web, have the perfect opportunity to leverage their core competencies and extend their existing business models to dominate key aspects of the video market.
Newspapers, while no longer the sole source of local information, are still viewed by the majority as the source “of record.”
I dunno. I’m having a tough time with this one. I see consolidation ahead for online video sites with user-generated information. However Mireles did point out one example that didn’t seem too far fetched. The guy who videotapes the high-school football game uploads it to the local newspaper site, and invites others to watch it.
Kevin –
Good article, and the last paragraph sums it all up nicely:
“…given the number of solution providers, demand from advertisers for controlled content and audience desire for local content, newspapers have a great opportunity to dominate many segments of the online video market.”
Think about – what do they really need to pull this off?
– Editors (hmmm… can a newspaper find an editor for the job?)
– Ad sales people (repeat previous thought)
– Video technology that makes it easy for contributors to upload videos and display ads during/at end of the video (currently available and/or easily developed).
– Someone to oversee the whole thing (you can contact me at…)
HUGE opportunity here. Local advertisers would love this. Imagine…
– After a video of recent HS football highlights, a short promo from the local Domino’s pizza appears, along w/ a special offer.
– Someone submits coverage of a tree landing on and demolishing a car/house/store/whatever. Weeping owner included. Sponsored by Joe Shmoe of Allstate on Main St. – “don’t let this happen to you, call me at 555…”, or a new builder/car dealer, etc.
Ads can be tracked and billed via impression or click-through. The newspaper and advertisers can easily monitor what’s hot, what works, and what doesn’t.
Imagine that: everyone can track the success of an ad. Oh my, what a concept (although this certainly may scare the newspapers a bit).
Maybe not this year, maybe not next, but soon, video will be everywhere – and it will be supported by ads. People who figure out how to bring advertisers and a local audience together via video will be handsomely rewarded.
The opportunity is there, I just wonder if these more traditional media companies have the brains and balls to jump on it.
– joe chapuis
http://www.WebVideoZone.com
Oh yeah, you also need someone who can quickly create short video ads for the local advertisers. More opportunity, for the newspaper, or for local vendors.
joe