USA Today Adds Online Video Guide to Print and Digital Editions

USA Today, in an effort to integrate digital content into its newspaper, is now offering a guide to the best online videos in its print and web editions. The daily list, titled TV on the Web, will include podcasts handpicked by the paper as well.

Since MarketWatch founder Larry Kramer became head of the paper, it has been focusing more on digital, according to PaidContent.org’s Daniel Frankel.

“With celebrities such as Tom Hanks and Jerry Seinfeld entering the web-only space, and alternative programming sites such as YouTube, Hulu and Netflix carrying exclusive programming, the time has come to reflect the changing media landscape,” says Kramer.

USA Today has been successful in digital. Its digital operations revenue was up 25 percent in the first quarter.

Frankel points out that while many sites already post video guides, USA Today is the first major newspaper to do so. It will appear on the site and in print under the TV listings section.

As the web becomes more visual, and videos continue to gain traction, USA Today is smart to jump onto the trend. A recent comScore survey found that “more than 4 in 5 users are watching video content in a 30-day period.”

This week it was also announced that CNN alum Larry King was heading to Hulu, which is now hosting his new talk show. Netflix, along with Hulu, is producing original TV shows, and Amazon is doing the same.

Since traditional TV shows and former stars of television are making the switch to Internet video, newspapers should, like USA Today, notice this trend and report on it. It may just be another way for papers to keep up in the digital world and have their own say in the ever-evolving digital conversation.