Sitting down to watch a 30-minute national news broadcast seems like an activity from another era. With the increased use of mobile devices, an increasing number of individuals are getting their information when and where they want to. Folks don't necessarily have the time or the desire to go through every event of the day, and one major news organization is changing the way it reports to meet the needs of this segment.
According to a report from NativeMobile, NBC has partnered with and invested in NowThis News, a New York City-based startup that produces videos exclusively for mobile platforms. This partnership will enable NBC to create short news segments that will be posted to sites like Vine, Snapchat and Instagram in addition to NowThis News' mobile application. The content production company will also have access to NBC's archives in exchange for the network having the rights to any of its current videos.
"We know that news consumption among younger audiences continues to grow, but in order to reach that audience, we need to continue to create video for the platforms they use most. NowThis News does exactly that – delivering relevant news stories for the mobile and social platforms that resonate with this audience," said Patricia Fili-Krushel, Chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, in a release, as reported by TechCrunch.
NBC has not disclosed the dollar amount that it invested in NowThis News, but NativeMobile estimates that it has a 10 percent stake in the company.
The deal with NowThis News is just the latest in NBC's efforts to become more competitive in the mobile sphere. Earlier this month, the media outlet announced partnerships with content providers ReCode and Stringwire.
Major news organizations and small businesses alike must recognize that embracing mobile is necessary to keep their targeted audiences engaged. To stay ahead of your competitors, consider partnering with an internet marketing service like KeyMedia Solutions.