Going Full Video - The New York Times, Mashable and The Secret to Success

Video is the most valuable and compelling content on the web, in turn drawing the most valuable advertising. That value is only rising in an era of endless content, expanding ad-blocker use and impatient audiences.Live streaming in particular has set off a new gold rush, spurred in part by the big investment Facebook has just made to kickstart its live-video platform.The New York Times, for instance, has detailed a team of six journalists, creating live programming such as “Take Me Theres,” unique live stories with no connection to stories being created elsewhere across the publication.The Times, the Wall Street Journal, Mashable and many others are investing substantially in creating a TV-like experience, with both live and previously recorded, on-demand video (where Google is paying many publishers for new YouTube programming).With video CPMs reportedly as high as $50, publishers want to climb a mountain of video-ad gold. Video ad spending is expected to top $9.6 billion this year, up from $7.5 billion last year, according to eMarketer. And video use across all social-media platforms is rising quickly, as a place where brands are increasingly buying time and audiences are becoming comfortable watching.So it’s no surprise that big publishers are turning to it in a major way. But making this kind of major pivot isn’t as simple as pushing play on your smartphone’s video record button. To push the metaphor a bit, these video mountaineers will need a digital Sherpa to help them make the slippery ascent to the top.Many publishers, deeply experienced in the ways of the text-based tale but not in video, are struggling with a new set of technological and content-creation needs. Smart, experienced partners count here.Mashable recently announced its video pivot with a $15 million investment from Turner Broadcasting, including co-production deals with TNT and TBS, and sharing of Mashable’s analytics tools, among other significant changes to its operations."Together we think we can reinvent the way television is made," Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore wrote in a staff memo.Mashable’s big move was designed to position it for the digital video future. I’m a big fan of digital video, having built my company, Watchwith, on serving brands and publishers in this space. Compared to display or other sectors of digital advertising, there’s still too little good video inventory out there, particularly given all the audience interest.This ensures that CPMs should remain high for brand-driven experiences wrapped around that material. That means publishers can make more money even as brands can reach highly targeted, highly engaged audiences.Digital video also enables new kinds of interactive and compelling interactions with brands and content that go far beyond what was possible in the days of traditional linear programming.But none of this is easy. Making video requires different skills and resources than cranking out text-driven breaking news stories.Publishers face even more complications when their video content is meant to be seen on someone else’s site, such as Facebook, Google or Snapchat’s Discover section.Publishers must find partners that can help them navigate those complications in a way that delights audiences, connects brands and enriches the publishers themselves.At Watchwith, we’ve worked with great content partners who understand digital video’s potential. We’ve collaborated to repeatedly optimize and improve our offerings so they meet the needs of this exciting new medium and all of its many stakeholders.Just as important is development (and continual updating) of a “playbook” of best practices. Publishers and brands will need that kind of playbook to truly profit from the emerging digital-video revolution.So now come the important questions for you and your company: what is your company doing with digital video? Are you evolving how you operate? Are you creating the high-value content that can attract high-value audiences and advertising? Have you put together the skills, resources and partners who can help you succeed? If not now, when?About the authorZane Vella is the CEO at Watchwith, a company that helps TV networks and premium video publishers unlock the power of metadata to create new in-program ad inventory.