Reporting live from the scene, we go now to . . . Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and Politico?
The lines that once differentiated print and broadcast media are blurring. News stations are writing online articles, and newspapers are presenting news with video. Live news broadcasts were once dominated by CNN, Fox and other cable networks, but the space is getting a lot more crowded, thanks to online video.
The New York Times explains why:
Video represents a new investment for news organizations, some of which are struggling to make the transition to new digital business models. They are chasing the high C.P.M.’s, or cost per thousand views, that video ads attract — $20 to $50 on average, according to several industry executives.
Compound that with video ad spend: The fastest-growing category of Web ad spend is projected to pass the $3 billion mark this year, up from $2.16 billion in 2010. But in addition to the lure of high ad dollars, there's also Google's pledge to pay partners to create YouTube channels. The search giant has also pushed news organizations to hold video chat sessions on Google Hangouts.
The media companies planning to enter live programming include Politico, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Huffington Post — the last of which plans to stream 12 hours of live video each weekday. The Wall Street Journal, which already produces four hours each weekday, plans to add more this year.
Yet even with this open embracing of live video, on-demand dominates, making up as much as 95 percent of video traffic for publications such as WSJ. Politico is not looking to compete with MSNBC or Fox News. "Are we good at this? And does the audience want it?" explained the site's executive editor Jim VandeHei.
"We’re finding more people want to watch news as it unfolds wherever they are. And they want to watch the most relevant parts on demand,” Andrew Pergam, director of video for the Washington Post, said. “We’re delivering both.”
Expect more traditional "print" and online media companies to leverage the immediacy of online video in the coming months.
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