Reuters Offers Mobile Video, Pre-Roll Ads

UPDATE: Video clips will encompass both business and headline news; ads will consist mainly of :15 spots.

Reuters introduced a video extension to its mobile presence, a first for a mobile news site in the U.S.

Video clips will encompass both business and headline news, and range in length from approximately :30 to several minutes. A total of 20 videos will be available on the site at any given time, and the mobile video will be “updated around the clock,” according to Stephen Smyth, general manager of Reuters Media.

The service is optimized for a small number of smart phones, including the Nokia E62, Palm 700w, and Blackberry Pearl. Mobile Web subscribers with unsupported phones will not see the video option when visiting Reuters’ mobile site.

Reuters will sell pre-roll ads against the clips, mainly in the form of :15 spots. Though the service is now live, ads won’t begin running until next month.

Current mobile advertisers include GE, which is sponsoring articles grouped into an eco-business category. The ad buy is part of a holistic program that spans the publisher’s regular Web site as well.

“We just view video as one more ad product that we can bundle into a deal,” said Smyth. “Reuters is really embracing new technologies that allow advertisers and marketers to reach our audience in innovative ways.”

Reuters’ two-pronged distribution strategy includes both direct promotion of its mobile content and deals with carriers. It has an on-deck “Reuters” tab with three news services: Verizon, Sprint and Nextel.

According to Smyth, the Reuters mobile site records page views in the “single digit millions” per month. Year-over-year site traffic was up 300 percent as of November.

Reuters already offers mobile video in Europe and Asia.

This story has been corrected to state that page views on the Reuters mobile site are in the low millions. An earlier version had indicated the figure applied to unique users.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource