Users will experience improved navigation while the platform will also allow greater targeting of relevant content for advertisers and use of video on a broader range of mobile devices, including the iPad.
The video content will be available on an exclusive area at www.ft.com/video, as well as being embedded in relevant news stories and analysis. The redesigned section of the website is in line with the look and feel of the Financial Times brand, and includes a number of options to help users better navigate content on the site, including:
• An ‘editor’s choice’ selection of the top ‘must watch’ videos
• A ‘most popular’ section that lets users see at a glance what everyone else is watching
• Users can also search by the most recently added videos, and dedicated categories have been developed to align content with the main FT.com sections: Companies, Markets, Global Economy, Management, Personal Finance and World
The new platform will allow greater targeting of relevant content for advertisers, as well as displaying pre-roll advertisements in the dynamic widescreen 16:9 format. FT.com will be using the new platform to tailor video content to the newest consumer electronic devices, including mobile phones, e-readers and tablet computers including the iPad, offering FT.com’s award-winning content on more formats than ever before.
The new technology, developed in conjunction with the cloud-based online video platform Brightcove, will also offer FT.com users new viewing and sharing options that will further enhance the FT.com user experience while also enabling shorter content production cycles.
“FT.com video content is extremely popular for both users and advertisers,” said Steve Pinches, Lead Product Manager, FT.com. “The FT.com now publishes over 180 videos a month and has seen video views top 1 million a month. In response to this demand we are investing in an enhanced video platform which, as well as providing a much improved user experience, will also allow for much deeper integration of video right across FT.com and emerging platforms. These qualities will allow us to create far more flexible syndication opportunities and an even more powerful advertising proposition.”
Also commenting on the news, Richard Edgar, Head of Video, FT.com said, “We continuously look for ways to innovate and showcase video content on FT.com. The redevelopment of the video hub provides greater editorial freedom to highlight the best videos we produce, and enables easier navigation for the growing number of visitors to the site. The move to 16:9 widescreen format enhances the technical quality of the videos we produce, and we are confident that these developments will help increase viewers and the time spent by each visitor on the site.”
The new platform has been trialled through April 2010 and will be launched across FT.com from yesterday.
