Reasons why CBSN's live concerts, which are watched more than 1 million times a day, are popular: "Upfront investment" and "Youth development" are successful | DIGIDAY [Japan version]

CBS News' 24-hour free streaming video news network has averaged over 1 million video streaming views per day, the agency reports.

Approximately 80% of the live streams delivered daily on CBSN are live content, replacing on-demand video with various news segments. This is because CBS News has invested in continuing live broadcasts on CBSN for the past four and a half years. Christie Tanner, executive vice president and general manager of CBS News Digital, said CBSN will deliver live broadcasts, usually 12 hours a day. The average viewing time is "well over an hour," Tanner said, partly because viewers were looking forward to CBS's live show.

"We are always streaming videos," Tanner said. "When you're trying to watch an on-demand video, you often want to watch just one story, but livestreaming viewers start watching the video with the intention of watching it for a long time."

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CBSN Growth Factors

Currently, CBSN is available on 18 different sources. For example, Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV, streaming TV devices such as Roku, live TV bundles like Hulu Live TV, and even websites and mobile apps for the station's desktop PCs. You can watch it on CBS's all-access subscription streaming service. New growth areas are TV makers such as Samsung, LG, and Vizio, which are increasing sales of Internet-connected TVs. The segment has seen "three-digit" growth since the 2018 holiday season, Tanner said.

"The CBS Interactive station has this technology and expertise in-house, so we can respond quickly to new environments," Tanner said. "This agility is the result of four and a half years of experience in the field of streaming. It's possible because we're leading the field, not trying to catch up."

CBSN also helped CBS News reach the younger generation, who don't watch traditional television as much as the older generation. The company has announced that the average age of CBSN viewers is 37. Tanner says the age of watching regular news broadcasts is at least 20 years older.

"CBSN is a CBS News attempt not only to reconnect with an audience that was once disconnected, but also to maintain a relationship with an audience that would never have been'connected'," said a media advisor. According to Peter Xassie, the founder of Creatv Media. "But there is soil for growth, but I wonder how much room there is for growth."

Competitors appear one after another

In particular, since this regime, CBSN sees more competitors now emerging than it was five years ago. Last year, ABC News launched a livestreaming news channel, and NBC News is preparing to offer its own free streaming service this year. Meanwhile, Fox News offers a subscription video service for members.

CBSN's digital publishing competitors include Cheddar, which was acquired by EW Scripps' subsidiary Newsy and French cable TV operator Altice for $ 200 million. Cheddar) and so on. Amazon, which is reportedly working to offer a free news video streaming service for Fire TV users, will soon be on this list of competitors.

All of these services get customers to spend their time on these services and get their attention as their viewing styles continue to move towards over-the-top (OTT), or high-speed Internet access. Competing to collect.

CBSN's Competitive Advantage

According to Tanner, CBSN is in an advantageous position despite intensifying competition. That's because these services allow more audiences to be attracted to the OTT ecosystem, but CBS News has been preparing for it about five years ahead of other streaming services. "Other companies are about to launch, but we have more experience and knowledge about our news audience and what they want in the streaming arena." , Says Tanner. "That's why we're proud to grow and continue to give our audience what they want."

Some of this growth can be achieved through the production of more local programming. Last year, CBSN began producing New York's first local show, and is currently working on a second local channel for Los Angeles, which will be completed soon. CBS will be producing live local shows in Boston and San Francisco later this year, a spokeswoman for the agency said.

CBSN also plans to increase the number of original documentary productions from 12 in 2018 to 18 this year, Tanner said.

"When we listen to the audience, they want more in-depth coverage. They also tell us what topics they want us to cover," Tanner said. "We've made a lot of stories in the last two years because the audience is so responsive."

Sahil Patel (Original / Translated by: Conyac)