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Online Journalism News

The Sun claims UK web video first

Posted: 14/07/05 By: Jemima Kiss
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Sun Online is claiming to be the first national UK newspaper to feature daily video news bulletins following a deal with the Press Association.

The news bulletins are produced specifically for the site and branded as the Sun. Each news bulletin runs for a minute-and-a-half and is updated four times a day. Major breaking stories - such as the London bombings last week - will be updated more frequently.

The Sun chose PA's service over other providers, including other broadcasters in the News Corporation group.

"This was a real good deal and the PA came to us with this package at the right time," said Danny Rogers, marketing manager for Sun Online.

"Without doubt newspapers will have to develop more multimedia channels. There has been a rapid take-up of broadband internet and people want to see broadcast images.

"It's another important way to interact with readers. We've invested in this technology and want to produce as much rich content as possible for the site."

Bulletins are accessed through the front page and open directly inside the browser, which means users don't need an additional application, such as RealPlayer, to view the content.

PA video journalists compile the bulletins using video reports, photos and introductions from some of the Sun's broadcast-trained reporters.

The video bulletins provide another potential income stream for the site.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for media buyers to reach our audience," Mr Rogers told journalism.co.uk.

"We can already offer bumper ads in the footage and banner space within the video window."

Sun Online also offers weekly entertainment video bulletins featuring celebrity news and red carpet coverage.

One of the first bulletins covered the Tom Cruise 'squirting' incident when Channel 4 journalists used a fake microphone to squirt water in the actor's face. That bulletin was watched by around 27,000 users.

The video news feature was launched at the end of June and had been timed to coincide with the Live8 concert and G8 summit, but happened to be live to cover the London bombings last week.

Heavy network demand meant that downloads were limited and bulletins that day recorded around 20,000 views.

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