[ad_1]
Another week, another distribution of the technology sector to the media industry. This time it is Google, as it often is, which supports the media. Or Google's YouTube, to be exact. The video platform will spend $ 25 million to build "a better YouTube news experience together". Presumably, the term "together" has been added by some whir PR to indicate a joint effort between YouTube and the publishers, who might be wary of the dreaded pivot of the video. So, how will the effort be joint?
Well, this will involve the creation of a working group with press organizations and experts from around the world. The goal is to develop new features and enhance the experience on YouTube. Secondly, YouTube will provide funds in some 20 markets to help news organizations set up sustainable video operations. These grants will help news agencies train staff, improve production facilities and develop optimized formats for online video. And third, YouTube will expand its support team. It will have a host of specialists to support its partners in training and best practices in formats, audience development, operations and sophisticated technical integration.
But that's not all. YouTube will also promote reliable sources of information. The platform promises to facilitate the search for quality news by highlighting videos from sources of information in the search results. It will also serve as short snapshots of news articles alongside YouTube's search results on breaking stories in the United States. These will be linked to the full article. And will come with a reminder that the latest news can change quickly.
Lest we blame YouTube for packing a particular version of the truth, it also strives to help users to form their own opinions about the news that they have. They choose to consume.
Users will now receive information from Wikipedia and the Encyclopaedia Britannica, as well as videos of historical events and scientific topics that are often the subject of false information. The landing on the moon and the bombing of Oklahoma City are cited as examples. YouTube will also feature other local news, initially in the United States. This is an attempt to help viewers access local news in the living room, the most dynamic screen of YouTube.
In addition, a host of popular YouTubers will be coming together to support MediaWise, an American initiative that aims to teach teens digital literacy skills.
These elements are all at the top of YouTube's initiative for publishers. This allows Google to allow publishers in certain markets to use its YouTube player to stream and monetize all of its videos. This reduces the costs of hosting and development. Remember, it's only available in 25 countries
So, how's it going to work?
For YouTube, the answer is almost certainly. Aside from positive public relations, YouTube will receive an influx of credible news, allowing it to move its image from random user-generated content to a platform on which people can count for information serious. That it will work for publishers is another question.
YouTube insisted that it did not want to directly fund content creation – something that Facebook has done in the past. He wants something more sustainable, which is commendable. But another $ 25 million will not change the fundamentals of online video.
If you compare the opportunity cost of creating digital videos with the top CPMs for video and the factor of how buyers buy video ads online, it's hard to know if publishers will see the video as a cash cow.
There is a host of other reasons why publishers are not jumping for joy. This funding is not really new. this is part of the Google News initiative that has already been announced. In addition, $ 25 million is small beans given the financial influence of YouTube and declining revenue from news publishers.
And YouTube will also have to convince the media that it can legitimately badess the levels of authoritarianism of the publishers. That publishers want to succumb to a distribution channel clbadifying them in this way is another matter.
But perhaps the biggest problem is that users of news sites are not big fans of digital video. They seem to prefer the text.
According to a 2016 Reuters News Project report, 76 respondents in 26 countries avoided video on news sites. Why? 41pc felt that reading articles is faster and more convenient than watching video news. Although videos declared in 19pc add no value to a text story. And there is the crux; While viewers flock to YouTube for the video, they do not rush to the news sites.
Sunday Indo Business
[ad_2]
Source link
