Steve Safran provides a bevy of quotes from Martin Nisenholtz , who was the keynote at Streaming Media East. When it comes to video, the NYTimes is providing strong leadership for newspapers to follow.
Here’s some highlights:
“We have a long way to go, but as far as we’re concerned now is the time to make the investment and experiment to see where we can go.�
“Once reluctant print reporters are now carrying cameras into the field.�
“What does it take to get a print reporter to do this? After about a half a day of training, the print reporters do get the basic skills they need.�
“With more reporters shooting, our expertise improves at a faster pace.”
“The approach we take is eclectic. It ranges from criticism to reporting from the field.�
“To reach a broader audience, the Times must distribute its video outside of NYTimes.com. We believe we need to go outside the walls to make this work.�
Which ad formats are going to hold? “So far we only know what hasn’t worked. Pre-rolls are fast becoming a universally accepted bad behavior-response.�
“Think ahead: just when we were starting to think about the “sit forward� experience of web video, along comes Apple TV.�
I think that last comment is particularly important. I talk a lot about content that engages users on a personal level. That’s very important for personal digital devices such as laptops and iPods. It’s a different experience with a TV set, which is often a shared information and entertainment experience. Even if you’re alone in a room with your TV, it’s more of a “sit down and relax” experience. That means, I think, quality standards on both a technical level and a content level need to be much higher.
Newspapers have a narrow window of opportunity to learn how to do IP-delivered video in a way that creates a growth opportunity. The Times is taking the right path. Eventually, the barrier to entry will be much higher. Those newspapers that are starting simple now and growing internal video literacy, and growing it broadly, will be at an advantage in years to come.
Regarding …
We have been putting some of knoxnews’ videos on YouTube since late October. We do not promote it on our site and haven’t marketed that fact in any way.
The organic views of those page are adding up to a pretty big number (for us): 80,638 video views and 729 channel views.
[…] Howard says: Eventually, the barrier to entry will be much higher. Those newspapers that are starting simple now and growing internal video literacy, and growing it broadly, will be at an advantage in years to come. […]