Insights Archives

Video news needn’t be a quick hit

Much of the video we share with publishers is short, usually under two minutes.

There’s a lot of information you can get into that timeframe and the news providers we work with are masters at short-form story telling.

But there is also a huge appetite among consumers for longer, lean back content.

Take this look at this 25 minute programme on the growth of QAnon from Al Jazeera.

The longer magazine format allows for a real exploration of this complex topic. Why is it spreading from the US, and where is it taking hold?

We see long dwell time for this kind of content and it offers more opportunity for advertising.

Oovvuu’s content library has 4,000 documentaries and factual programs from premium providers.

Publishers can use Oovvuu to create video hubs or video journeys that keeps them immersed in the site.

And data shows that consumers are prepared to spend longer watching video at different times of the day and week.

If you would like to add this type of content to your website, please contact us.

Entertainment news giant US Weekly joins Oovvuu

Advertising, Content, Customers, Insights

US Weekly, the leading trusted source of breaking showbiz and popular culture news in America, is now live on Oovvuu.

It’s a fantastic addition to our library and offers publishers brand-safe videos on stories readers are talking about.

After that sizzling script reading for Fast Times at Ridgemont High with Jennifer Anniston, why wouldn’t you want to know that Brad Pitt is dating, and who?

US Weekly’s videos are captioned and often contain exclusive material, like this revealing interview with Princess Diana’s chef.

US Weekly covers all the big entertainment stories, giving them background and context.

If you’re a publisher looking for this kind of news content for your site, contact us.

Oovvuu in WordPress – a publisher gets off to a flying start

Advertising, Content, Customers, Insights

A leading Australian publisher has become the first news site in the world to deploy WordPress’ groundbreaking Oovvuu plugin for video.

The New Daily coverage included video from reporters at the scene

The New Daily in Melbourne, has integrated the plugin to its news site and trained its newsroom staff to use it to find relevant videos as news breaks.

When a blast devastated Beirut, the Oovvuu plugin gave the team instant access to breaking news video from the world’s top video sources who were on the scene including Reuters, The Associated Press and The Canadian Press.

Carley Olley, the company’s PM Editor, said: “The plugin is a super easy way to get video into our stories, and we can do it without leaving our editing screen. This means more videos are used, which is a win for us and for readers.

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Oovvuu’s real-time analytics reveal which videos resonate

“I’ve also found the analytics extremely useful, both as a way to measure how well particular stories are doing, but also to help me decide which stories to go after, as I can see which are resonating with our readers.”

Hundreds of thousands of Australian readers were exposed to the latest video on the world’s biggest news event of the day right in the articles they read and trust.

It’s an instant way to see the success or otherwise of a particular story and video.”
Carley Olley, PM Editor

And in the newsroom, they were able to track the story with real-time video analytics for the first time.

The deployment was the first for the Oovvuu plugin since the Australian company was selected by WordPress as its video technology partner.

Oovvuu provides nearly 400 distinct news feeds and is now working with WordPress and others to deploy its news video plugin to publishers worldwide, reaching billions more viewers.

The plugin is built directly into all versions of WordPress and WordPress VIP and delivers video recommendations into the editing screens for both the classic and Gutenberg versions of WordPress.

Since launching the Oovvuu WordPress plugin a month ago, The New Daily has doubled video views and created a lucrative new advertising opportunity.

Miles Finlay, product and programmatic ad lead, said: “Oovvuu video has improved our offering in the open exchanges and enabled us to complete high value programmatic and direct deals.

The premium nature of the video means we exceed agencies’ expectations with a high 90 per cent viewability rate and strong completions and conversions.”
Miles Finlay, programmatic ad lead

Before Oovvuu, video was relatively new to the Melbourne-based commercial team.

Oovvuu’s head of ad quality and operations Jimmy Fisher noticed they were able to quickly scale video ad solutions across multiple verticals, including entertainment, lifestyle, sport, travel and finance.

And the results have been terrific, with viewability rates of 90 per cent, a third higher than global benchmarks and healthy ad yields and sellthrough.

“It’s been great to see The New Daily scale up video use. It provides advertisers with options,” he said.

The plugin was deployed directly into The New Daily’s WordPress account by their internal development team.

The entire project was delivered in less than an hour and was live after two days of testing.

They also became the first publisher in the world to go live after the Oovvuu WordPress plugin announcement in July.

Oovvuu provides video from 400 trusted sources, covering major news as it happens

If you are a WordPress publisher and you are looking for video to enhance your articles, contact us.

More than 400 broadcast partners now sharing their content

Content, Customers, Insights, News

We’ve always had a fantastic variety of content sources at Oovvuu and hundreds of videos coming in on feeds every day.

Now we’ve teamed up with many more broadcasters and for the first time, thousands of new videos are on our feeds for publishers to choose from daily.

Our list of more than 400 partner broadcasters now includes the South China Morning Post, Al Jazeera, CBC, France 24, Fox News and many more.

It means an opportunity for Oovvuu publishers to offer unparalleled coverage of what’s going on the world.

Take Al Jazeera. Its 80 international bureaux and reputation for finding fresh voices for its reports, it can bring a new perspective to an issue.

Based in Paris, France 24’s mission is to “defend freedom, independence and pluralism of information”. This is a great example of them covering an international story at the top of everyone’s news agenda.

The National is the nightly news and current affairs programme from Canada’s public broadcaster, CBC. In this story, they look at the overwhelmingly older and white leaders in sport.

Fox News has 200 local stations across the US producing digital video. This report on body cam footage from the death of George Floyd is from the Fox 9 channel in Minneapolis.

Based in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post focuses on reporting “credible news and authoritative insights from Hong Kong, China and the world”. This moving long-form film follows the life of transgender dancer Piano.

How to add depth to Black Lives Matter movement coverage

Content, Insights, News

The Black Lives Matter movement and the reverberations of George Floyd’s killing continue to dominate the news agenda in many countries.

There’s a real wealth of video available which can enrich and help explain the story to readers.

Take this look at how one unique feature of the street protests were them taking place at the height of a pandemic.

Taking the knee, a protest better known to football benches, was adopted by protesters and supportive police officers in some countries. This explainer usefully reminds the reader of its origins.

The impact of the movement has been widespread, as this report from Reuters shows. It includes a personal explanation from the founder of Reddit Alexis Ohanian on giving up his seat to a black businessman to make the board more representative.

The movement has compelled states and institutions to confront their past. Lloyds of London, founded in 1686, issued an apology for its part in the slave trade.

Sometimes we can assume the reader has more knowledge than they actually have. This is exactly one of those useful explainers which can help them understand the background.

Or it can stop a reader in their tracks. That someone uses Siri in this way shows what an every day occurrence police harassment can be.

This lighter story also serves to illustrate what an impact the protests have had on our lives.

And finally, the reason George Floyd’s death wasn’t just another statistic was because his agonising death was captured on video, all 8 minutes 46 seconds of it. We have the video and while it’s disturbing to watch, it is a strong part of the narrative. The first one from the ABC comes with a warning, the second from the Associated Press doesn’t.

People’s trust in the news they get from the social media giants is sinking

Content, Customers, Insights, News

Publishers and broadcasters across the world are recording huge increases in traffic and viewers during the coronavirus pandemic. The BBC News website alone went from 15 million unique users to 30 million.

And the reason for this flight to news brands, according to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism? Trust.

The institute, which is based at Oxford University, surveyed 80,000 regular people in 40 countries about their attitudes and habits around news. They spoke to them before and during the Covid outbreak.

They found that in addition to trust in news organisations’ coverage being high – as high as any government’s – it was twice as high as their trust in information on social media platforms and YouTube.

Half of people trust the news they chose and from brands they know. But only 32% trusted it from search, like Google, and 22% from social media, like Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook is seen as the main channel for spreading false information almost everywhere
Nic Newman, report author

It was even lower in the US: 31% trusted news from search and only 14% from social media.

The full report can be read here but I hope they won’t mind me pulling out some of their graphics which neatly illustrate the gulf between named news brands people seek out, and links on tech platforms.

In fact, concern about MISinformation is growing.

“Facebook is seen as the main channel for spreading false information almost everywhere,” the report concluded.

In the US, Europe, UK and Australia particularly, readers are most concerned about the safety of the news they read on Facebook.

The report found a growth in the paywall/subscription model at specialist and national end of the market.

But it appears the advertising-funded model is here to stay for the majority of publishers.

Researchers asked people if they did not pay for news, what would it take to persuade them to do so.

A high percentage – 50% in UK, 40% in US – said nothing could persuade them: they expected to get it free.