A new startup that promises to deliver a different kind of video news coverage via mobile and social channels is attracting big names from the world of journalism. Now This News, which has yet to launch, announced it hired former CNN chief Eason Jordan, former ABC News Digital exec Ed O’Keefe and former Washington Post online news chief Katharine Zaleski for its executive team. The startup also says it inked a “strategic partnership” with Buzzfeed.
“The opportunity is as big as as CNN’s opportunity was 25 years ago when CNN was able to have an enormous impact on how news was delivered to the consumer and disrupted broadcast TV. I think now is the time when you can disrupt cable television news,” said Ken Lerer, formerly of Huffington Post, who is heading up the venture. Adds Jordan, “As more and more people turn to mobile and social outlets for their news, now is the perfect time to launch a video news network built for the digital generation.”
In an interview with Mashable, Lerer says they’ve rented the former Yahoo studio in NYC to produce professional videos tailored for the mobile experience. But otherwise, the details are few, and the explanations are vague, so we’ll have to wait and see. You can sign up to be alerted to the upcoming beta on Now This News’ site, or follow them on Twitter here.