The digital media companies that once seemed to have a lock on the future are making plans to get bigger and pay back their investors.
Swati Sharma, 34, prepares to take over the 90-person newsroom of a digital outlet known for its clearsighted articles on knotty issues in the news.
In an industrywide changing of the guard, other big newsroom jobs that have come open include the No. 1 slots at Vox, HuffPost and Wired. Above, Martin Baron, the executive editor of The Washington Post, announced this week that he was stepping down after a 45-year career.
Vice, Vox and BuzzFeed, among other companies that once heralded the dawn of a new media age, are now grappling with decidedly old-media problems.
Exclusives
What Happens Next For Tegna?
Premium
The two organizations announced that they’re hiring a joint video producer on a year-long appointment (because of the limited-time nature of the job, they’re calling it a fellowship) who will work with Vox’s video team to create videos based on ProPublica’s reporting.
On Thursday, Ron Lamprecht, NBCU EVP of business development and digital distribution, detailed NBC’s recent efforts around digital, including work with Snapchat and investments in BuzzFeed and Vox. In particular, Lamprecht discussed Snapchat and how, while monetization on the platform remains a challenge, NBC is benefiting from its work with the ephemeral social media service so far.
The new initiatives with Mashable, Tastemade, Buzzfeed and Vox are designed to expand NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises’ efforts to reach the “Generation M” — mobile, multicultural, millennials — with original content tailored to their cultural interests.
Vox, Mic Aim To ‘Out-Compete’ Legacy
Vox’s Marty Moe and Mic’s Chris Altchek shrug off recent panic that digital media are just as vulnerable as their legacy forebears. Platform publishing is key to their audience-finding success, they say, and their nimble, iterative nature and short- and long-form video moves are positioning them to blow through any headwinds even monoliths like BuzzFeed are feeling now.
Media giant NBCUniversal has an Achilles’s heel, according to its top executive. And it hopes it has come up with a cure for the ailment. CEO Steve Burke said the company took a look at four different outlets: BuzzFeed, Vox, Vice and Huffington Post. NBCU recently announced it would invest $200 million in each of the first two companies, in deals that will allow for content sharing, joint advertising pacts, and said Burke, education. “We like their businesses, but the real deal is we are going to get smarter” about reaching consumers with content through digital outlets.
Vox, Ozy.com and Refinery29 are among a growing number of new media brands are looking to differentiate themselves among a crowded pack of publishers.
Broadcast Pix has introduced VOX, a product for cost-effective live video production that works with any Granite, Mica or Slate system to produce voice-activated video productions. The company says VOX eliminates the need for an operator during live productions, as it detects which microphone is being used and uses software to switch to an interesting […]
