Another month, another article about how Jeff Zucker intends to reshape CNN. Oh, and another one.
Linear TV ratings are down across all major news networks, and as Kenneth Estenson, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com, tells the New York Times, “In many ways, digital is the entry point to the CNN brand now.”
Digital numbers for news networks look much better, and CNN in particular is now “the third most trafficked news and information digital outlet in the United States.” Reaching audiences across platforms – when so many people are turning to sources like Twitter for news consumption – is a large part of why CBS News is available on Roku, and ABC News on Apple TV.
Another way that news organizations are reaching viewers is on YouTube. Tubular Labs – a Silicon Valley-based video intelligence and marketing analytics company that aims to measure all digital video engagement across multiple platforms – analyzed the top ten news organizations on YouTube:
- Vice News (948K subs, 140M views, 1.1% engagement)
- ABC News (865K subs, 940M views, 0.7% engagement)
- CNN (588K subs, 500M views, 0.8% engagement)
- CBS (560K subs, 1.1B views, 0.5% engagement)
- Associated Press (469K subs, 1.4B views, 0.7% engagement)
- White House (458K subs, 190M views, 1.6% engagement)
- The New York Times (394K subs, 180M views, 0.9% engagement)
- PBS (336K subs, 310M views, 0.3& engagement)
- Mashable (150K subs, 58M views, 0.9% engagement)
- CBS News Online (140K subs, 180M views, 0.7% engagement)
Tubular is currently able to measure YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and doesn’t just look at views, but at demographics, competitive info and engagement.
For more on Tubular, and what trends they are seeing on YouTube for brands in general and news organizations in particular, we spoke with Allison Stern, the company’s co-founder and VP, Enterprise.
Lost Remote: How are TV networks trying to make a splash on YouTube leveraging Tubular data right now?
Allison Stern: Tubular empowers TV networks with essential, actionable video intelligence. Online video is complex, highly fragmented, dynamic, and new. Tubular provides the data to drive success with online video content, distribution, and promotion. It’s the only place to get 360 degree intelligence of every channel, every video, every conversation on YouTube that matters. Today, over 3,000 publishers use Tubular. As an example, HGTV used Tubular data to launch HGTV Handmade channel, and by optimizing content topics, themes, and influencers, they saved over $1M in marketing costs.
LR: Based on the list of news organizations, we see mixed results. VICE has the most subs, the AP has the most views, and the White House has the most engagement. What are the takeaways from this info?
Stern: VICE has really established their brand on YouTube and as a result gained viewer loyalty. Having a lot of subscribers means people have decided that they don’t just want to see one video a brand uploads to YouTube, they want to see all of it. Subscribers, views, and engagement are all different metrics of success. The key is to choose one as a primary goal and optimize around it. The AP has uploaded 2,574 videos in the last 90 days. That’s well over 10x VICE or the White House, and likely why they have the highest cumulative views (in addition to uploading timely content likely found through search). Engagement is potentially the most powerful metric of all. It’s possible to pay for views, but much harder (potentially impossible) to pay for engagement. Engagement is authentic. The content the White House is publishing is driving a reaction, people are either “liking” or “disliking” it, commenting on it, or sharing it with others.
LR: On YouTube, channel subscribers doesn’t necessarily result in more views. What should brands and networks be focusing on more?
Stern: Brands should be focusing more on engagement and sharing. Views and subscribers are important, but the key is building an engaged audience. One good way to do this is through partnering with YouTube native talent. See below for an example.
LR: The ratings for John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ on HBO aren’t stellar, yet the network seems to be OK with how many people watch the segments on YouTube after the fact. Is this a trend you’re seeing across the board or are HBO and Oliver pioneers?
Stern: I do think John Oliver is a pioneer and so is HBO for recognizing that Oliver is doing something right when it comes to online content. Typically HBO puts trailers, behind the scenes, and cast member vlogs on YouTube channels, as opposed to full content. YouTube is an extremely powerful content marketing platform. Shows like The Ellen Show, The X Factor, and Jimmy Kimmel/Jimmy Fallon have also capitalized on the power of the YouTube platform. Interestingly, Ellen’s audience on YouTube is completely different than her audience on TV. She’s using YouTube to expand her reach to a younger generation of viewers. One thing John Oliver does especially well is to use the platform to promote social action. The fact that he asks viewers to go online and question our leaders and lawmakers really speaks to the YouTube generation who like their content to be actionable. John Oliver wants to be an online presence and all of the views and engagement Last Week Tonight’s channel receives are evidence of its success. His channel is one of the fastest growing media brands on YouTube (28% view growth in the last 30 days).