YouTube is committing $25m to fund video news operations in what it calls an effort to support “the future of news in online video.”
Investment Details
SOURCE: YouTube blog
- Expertise. We’re establishing a working group with news organizations and experts from around the world to help us develop new product features, improve the news experience on YouTube, and tackle emerging challenges. News organizations including Vox Media, Jovem Pan, and India Today are early members of the working group. We’re looking forward to having more join as we convene the group in the coming weeks.
- Innovation Funding. We will provide funding across approximately 20 global markets to support news organizations in building sustainable video operations. Provided on an application basis to news organizations of all types, these grants will enable our partners to build key capabilities, train staff on video best practices, enhance production facilities and develop formats optimized for online video.
- Support. We’re significantly expanding our team focused on supporting news publishers. These specialists will be based around the world and support partners with training and best practices in formats, audience development, day-to-day platform operations, and sophisticated technical integrations.
They will also start providing short text previews of major news events. In breaking stories, information can change and be updated. This will help steer users to the latest information. YouTube will also highlight breaking major news stories on its home page.
Emphasis on Local News
YouTube rightly recognizes the value in local news, which is still the most trusted source for news escaping much of the vitriol aimed at the cable and network news machines.
Many people want, value, and trust local news. And when a major event happens, local reporters are often the first on site to capture events as they unfold. We’ve begun testing features that surface local news in the YouTube app for TV screens across 25 media markets around the United States, making it easy to access local news in the living room–our fastest growing screen. So far, local news has seen strong engagement.
Read the YouTube blog for more details.
Paul Dughi.com 