It’s all over the web today – CNN.com has announced a new strategy with their video products. I’ve been working on some aspects of these for a while – nice to see the project out in the public eye. Here are some quotes from today’s coverage:
CNN.com will make its existing online video offerings available for free beginning June 20 as it prepares a new video package that will cost money to watch. The company said the premium offering would deliver multiple live feeds and provide access to CNN’s video archives. Susan Grant (executive vice president for the CNN News unit that oversees the Web site) would offer no other details on the premium service or on how the free video would differ from the current offerings, other than its placement on the home page.
MediaPost.com (subscription required)
As part of the June 20 launch, the CNN.com home page will spotlight ad-supported video news coverage as part of a broader restyling of the site….The change reflects the background of CNN President Jonathan Klein–who came to the Turner Broadcasting unit from the FeedRoom, a company he founded that builds broadband Web sites and streams online content–although the Web project is being supervised by Susan Grant, executive vice president of CNN News Services.
Read the expanded entry for the full press release.
CNN Broadband Press Release
For Release: May 16, 2005
CNN.com Announces Groundbreaking Broadband Service
Top Internet News Site Expands Online Offerings with Free Video, Unmatched Premium Product
CNN.com extends its leadership as the Internet’s top site for news and information through an unprecedented investment in broadband that includes free video and a premium product that places the site at the control of the online user, it was announced today by Susan Grant, executive vice president of CNN News Services.
CNN.com will make the free video available starting June 20, while it will unveil its complete premium product this fall with more options and features than any other online news and information site.
As part of the June 20 launch of free video, the CNN.com home page will prominently feature video as part of a restyling of the site.
In addition, ad-supported video packaged specifically for CNN.com will be woven throughout the site on section fronts, story pages and special reports complementary to the content.
“Online users have begun to expect high-quality, up-to-the-minute news video as part of their news-browsing experience,” Grant said. “With free video drawing from the extensive resources of CNN, our users get quick, reliable and accurate multimedia information, thus connecting them with CNN in a deeper, richer and more satisfying way.”
With the free video, online users each day can view various distinct on-demand videos across several topic areas, including politics, world news, business, sports, entertainment, science and technology and more.
A specially designed video player enables users to search and organize videos so they can quickly focus on the content they wish to see. As part of the free offering, CNN.com staff will also produce two-minute newscasts every hour called “Now in the News,” delivering the latest updates and breaking news.
In the fall, CNN.com will offer an innovative subscription-based service delivering multiple live video streams, access to CNN’s video archives and user-customized options. This new premium product will enable CNN.com users to get the full impact of watching the news with as much choice and control as watching television or using a Web site.
As the first Internet site dedicated to 24-hour news coverage, CNN.com ranks as the leading online news and information site, attracting an average of 23 million unique users each month. Launched in 1995, CNN.com draws from the worldwide resources of the CNN News Group to provide relevant, up-to-the minute news and information. CNN.com features the latest multimedia technologies, from video streaming to audio packages to searchable archives of news features and background information.
CNN, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. Its reach extends to 14 cable and satellite television networks; two private place-based networks; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; six Web sites, including CNN.com, the first major news and information Web site; and CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service.