Broadcast Interactive Media Enables CGM for Local TV Sites

TV stations are lagging behind their local newspaper competitors online, and believe it or not, in some markets the newspapers have ’em beat when it comes to Web video. Now, some local station sites are employing a tactic many newspaper sites are also beginning to use: enabling user-generated content.

Broadcast Interactive Media today announced the launch of its YouNewsTV technology, which will allow broadcast site partners to let users submit news, weather and sports video and photos. At start, Fisher Communications, Journal Broadcast Group and Granite Broadcasting will be using the product, which will allow stations to target local and national pre-roll video spots to themed channels as well as using in-depth registration data.

Broadcast Interactive has access to half its partners’ inventory, and handles sales of national advertising, while partner sites control the other half for local advertising.

The three initial partners each have over 10 stations, representing a total of over 30 markets, according to Broadcast Interactive CEO Timur Yarnall.

The video offering aims to attract users interested in showing off videos of their kids’ soccer games or photos from a recent ice storm. Some newspaper sites are already offering social and video-sharing tools on their sites to keep users coming back, and help create cheap ad inventory.

People have plenty of other options to distribute photos and video online already, but if they offer the right combination of information and services, local sites affiliated with entrenched regional media brands could appeal to users where other nationwide sites can’t.

“Otherwise users are going to go right to YouTube,” said Yarnall.

In January, Broadcast Interactive partnered with radio station site network MediaSpan to sell targeted display and video ads to national advertisers across their expanded networks.