Grabyo, a real-time video solutions provider for broadcasters, recently announced the launch of Grabyo VIP, which will allow verified users to monetize content through Facebook’s and Twitter’s native video player. The launch is a natural progression for the company, which last year powered the video sharing solutions for the All England Lawn Tennis Club for Wimbledon, and then, more recently, raised $2 million from athletes like Thierry Henry and Tony Parker.
Brands and broadcasters have become more intelligent about how they monetize and advertise across socia. Celebrities, though, outside of contracted social posts they work out with brand partners, have for the most part not found a viable solution for monetizing their own content.
Grabyo hopes that its VIP product is the solution. For more on Grabyo VIP, we spoke with Grabyo CEO, Gareth Capon:
LostRemote: How much will verified users earn from each premium video they re-share?
Gareth Capon: Verified users will be rewarded according to the engagement and reach they’re able to generate for brand sponsors. It will therefore be most interesting to those stars that have the largest and most engaged social audience. The scale of earnings potential is the same as for any other form of media – it depends on the size of your following, the type of content shared and the scale of the campaign. We believe that major stars could earn six or even seven figure sums by sharing premium video clips from major events.
LR: Why should stars be paid for sharing clips?
Capon: Major stars currently share branded content (such as photos or even entire TV commercials) to their fans as part of their endorsement and sponsorship deals with brands. We’re giving them the opportunity to share premium content, in a very timely fashion, which their fans are often very keen to see – some of the best moments from live events and TV shared across social media in real time. We believe this is entirely appropriate and a significant step forward. Indeed, we believe it is a WIN for the rights holder, for the brand, for the talent and most importantly for the consumer.
What’s in this for TV networks and rights holders?
Capon: Social networks and mobile apps are driving growth in digital media consumption so both rights holders and brands must find effective ways of reaching consumers across these platforms. In the digital world where social apps dominate, major celebrities are emerging as powerful media channels in their own right – their audiences are both more engaged and many times larger than traditional rights holders, which means these channels can be far more powerful in driving media discovery and distribution.
How will brands be able to capitalize on Grabyo VIP?
Real time, social video is a highly appealing format for brands as it allows them to align with premium content – such as highlights from a major sporting event – and engage consumers at scale on social platforms (and across mobile devices). This is why Twitter Amplify has proved so popular with media companies and brands. It’s also why the NFL partnered with Facebook to share videos sponsored by Verizon and Salesforce.com. By incorporating the social influence of major stars, we’re now able to dramatically boost organic discovery, engagement and distribution for brand sponsors and therefore measurably enhance the scale and effectiveness of their campaigns.
LR: How will the rise of livestreaming apps impact Grabyo VIP?
Capon: Periscope is certainly an interesting app and is clearly proving popular with many consumers but it faces challenges in terms of media discovery, usability and content. More importantly, the videos consumed on live streaming apps currently occur within the app, which means they are limited by the scale of the audience using the application. Native video formats on social platforms are optimised for short-form video and benefit from social discovery – which drives viral distribution. They also don’t require a user to be available ‘in the moment’ to consume the content. As a premium format used by some of the largest sports rights holders globally, real-time video is also superior both in content and quality. As a result real-time video clips regularly generate millions of video views.
Class is Forever @rogerfederer http://t.co/yBRrGChbTm
— Thierry Henry (@ThierryHenry) April 16, 2015