Wall Street Journal Expands Live Video Stream

The Wall Street Journal is continuing its aggressive buildup of its live video stream, offering an expanding video menu of news analysis, interviews and opinion.

According to its website, WSJ Live offers original programming that “brings influencers and decision-makers live news and on-demand video directly from 2000+ reporters across the globe.”

PaidContent’s Jeff John Roberts says that the content will be coming from Barron’s and Dow Jones properties. “It provides a TV-channel like experience and aims for higher viewer quality and easier discoverability,” he says.

The campaign, which began in September, is still ramping up and refining its tone, but Roberts raises the question: Just because you broadcast something, does that mean people are watching?

Like other media outlets, WSJ trying to harness the growing power and influence of video. This week, the Journal announced an expansion of the video stream.

“The move is part of the Journal’s strategy to extend its brand into a video universe in order to complement its print products and tap into the high premium of video ad dollars,” says Roberts.

Back in May, the New York Times, which already features video heavily on its website, launched an ad campaign heavily promoting its digital subscriptions.

The WSJ will be able to reach the mobile audiences more effectively as well since it’s also providing a service for the iPad. People using mobile devices prefer videos instead of text.

“Is anyone actually watching this?” Roberts writes. “Even a devout Journal reader with a passion for soccer would soon flip to ESPN, the BBC or, well, anything but this. It’s early days yet, though, and the Journal still has time to separate the wheat from the chaff as it perfects the technical dimensions of WSJ Live.”