The Huffington Post’s online TV network finally has a launch date. The Wall Street Journal‘s Keach Hagey reports that HuffPost Live will launch Monday, August 13. Hagey also reveals new details about the site, including the fact that programming will not be interrupted for commercials. Instead, advertisers will be integrated into segments.
“So if the brand is about speed and efficiency, they might be part of a speed debate round on HuffPost Live,” said Janet Balis, publisher of Huffington Post Media Group, adding that “there is no programming that we will create that we would not have had as part of the show without the advertiser.”
Cadillac, which is launching its first compact sports sedan this summer, has signed up as a launch sponsor.
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Then there is little nugget:
The new network said it won’t aim to compete with television news. It will emphasize commentary over newsgathering.
“We’re not trying to report the news,” said Roy Sekoff, a founding editor of the Huffington Post who is heading up the streaming network. “We are trying to have conversations that the news inspires.”
Of course, as anyone who watches TV news can tell you, this sounds exactly what cable news channels do, filling hours of programming with commentary about the news, and occasionally jumping in with new news.
What to expect? Check out this video, which was posted to a HuffPost Live preview site.