New-media start-ups ramp up
Refugees from traditional publishing are turning up the heat as self styled new-media startups looking to bring entertainment and niche trade insights to wider more targeted audiences.
Entertainment site HitFix will launch in the US this week, founded by ex-Reed Business Information development execs Jen Wilhelmi Sargent and Arash Hadipanah and ex-Latimes.com and MSN.com film editor Gregory Ellwood, the startup offers the calendar application Forecast, which enables consumers to track and customize upcoming entertainment options based on their zip code and tastes. Last week the HitFix team made the rounds of studios to talk about advertising to their target 18-34 demo as well as access to new trailers, sets and talent.
HitFix also offers breaking movie news and blog content from Ellwood (whose blog will focus on awards coverage) and Ain't It Cool News reviewer Drew McWeeny (who retires his "Moriarty" moniker after 12 years), TV reporting from Zap2It's Daniel Fienberg, and music info from ex-Billboard music maven Melinda Newman. Sports will come online soon.
Editors will comment on newsfeeds supplied by the Associated Press. "There's a gap between the insider trades and the TMZ gossip side," Sargent said. "We're catering to consumers, like Entertainment Weekly."
HitFix has deals with partners Live Nation, Fandango, StubHub, Netflix and Amazon.com. Facebook and iPhone apps will launch in February, followed by other mobile devices such as BlackBerry.
Another team of Reed Business Information executives are also taking on the new media market down under targeting the media and marketing landscape with MuMbrella (www.mumbrella.com.au). The online venture is backed by former publisher of the RBI's Australian Media Group -which includes titles such as B&T, Encore, Digital Media and Professional Marketing - Martin Lane and the former and most recent Group Editor of the Media Group and editor of B&T magazine Tim Burrowes.
Back in the US , Wopular.com from Rotten Tomatoes co-founder Senh Duong has launched aggregating and presenting breaking news in a user-friendly interface. The site showcases constantly updated stories and a newspaper rack of RSS feeds from top media outlets. Ads, video and widgets will follow when traffic warrants it. "I'm like the editor of a newspaper picking interesting stories I think people should read," Duong said.
Wopular offers no original content or commentary (except from readers), but the price was right for Duong to launch this site by himself, with no staff, in one week: US$10.
1 comment:
Digital is no longer the "under dog" of the marketing world ,
campaigns and strategies are now built around digital media with digital media becoming the
centre piece of any activity, so a digital agency really needs to work at that strategic level with their clients-Didier grossemy
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