Serious question: Are online video networks the new daily deals sites? A couple weeks ago the Huffington Post announced its upcoming Streaming Network and now Spanfeller Media Group (SMG) has bowed one for its foodie site The Daily Meal, which launched January of last year.
Unlike HuffPo, the Daily Meal Video Network isn't a live Web network. Rather, its a collection of 300 originally produced videos weaved throughout The Daily Meal. Among the clips featured are recipe how-tos, restaurant profiles and interviews with celebrity chefs such as Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and Mario Batali.
“Food is a multisensory experience and the Web is a multi-media platform, this provides the perfect complement to our already appealing content,” said Jim Spanfeller, president and CEO of SMG, in a statement. “The video network will allow us to better engage our community, putting them in the heart of the action, while providing new real estate for advertisers.”
Aside from its content, the Daily Meal Video Network seems to hew to online video platform standards, particularly when it comes to viewer interactions and advertiser offerings. Viewers are able to rate videos and share them to Facebook or Twitter. And advertisers can run pre-roll and mid-roll spots as well as partner with The Daily Meal to create custom content that will run within the network.
