Online news video is becoming a central part of many publishers’ content strategy. A recent survey of senior digital leaders found that 79% planned to invest more in the format. However, publishers remain cautious due to the significant investment needed and the challenge of monetising video content.
Video news channels take a different approach to online news coverage, creating short videos designed to work on social media and mobile devices where sound is usually off. They use a mix of automation and human curation and often feature graphics and the publisher’s logo. Many are experimenting with innovative storytelling techniques and new visual formats to attract audiences.
For example, Tomo uses Taiwanese animators to create crude GCI reenactments of stories that they can’t actually capture on camera – an approach they call “News-Infotainment.” Unlike traditional news broadcasters, independent YouTube news channels are less likely to cite news organizations when making their videos. Instead they were more likely to cite other sources like experts, social media posts and polls.
Compared to the most viewed news videos in December 2019, those of independent channels were twice as likely to have a negative tone toward their main subject. Videos about President Trump were the most popular topics, followed by domestic policy issues and criticism of corporations like big tech. Meanwhile, videos about Democratic politicians and non-political public figures were less common.