Times Girds for Syndication of Video Content

The New York Times Company wants to add more video to its sites, including consumer-generated content, and syndicate its own video to affiliates around the Web. That’s the reasoning behind a multi-year deal announced today with Internet TV firm Brightcove.

The Times Company will use Brightcove technology to manage, program and deliver video content throughout its Web properties, which include NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. It will also use the tools to syndicate its video and take advantage of other syndication programs. Financial terms of the relationship weren’t disclosed.

“I think it’s an exciting opportunity to have About content syndicated to other sites and be able to pull quality content from other other providers onto the About site, and for us all to be able to make money from it,” Scott Meyer, president and CEO of About.com told ClickZ News.

The publisher will continue to sell its own video ad inventory, which typically consists of :30 pre-roll ads. Brightcove’s technology ties into the New York Times Company’s existing ad serving system. When the company’s content is syndicated out on the Web, Brightcove’s technology allows it to continue to serve ads and measure results.

The system will first be deployed on the About.com site, where the company has steadily added video over the last couple of years and recently rolled out new content in the gadgets and electronics area. That existing video, along with upcoming video on home and health topics, will eventually be transitioned to the Brightcove system. About.com also plans to apply the technology to its “how to” content, including consumer-submitted video.

“User generated content is already an important part of our site, so I think now extending that interaction to video is a great opportunity,” said Meyer.

Brightcove’s other clients include Reuters, National Lampoon and the Oxygen Network.