Press Association launches video news wire service
The Press Association is to launch the UK’s first domestic video wire service to support newsgathering for an increasingly converged media.
From May 5, the video wire will provide raw footage of the day’s main stories for broadcasters, online newspapers and digital customers, ready for them to edit into their own packages.
Supplied as an end-to-end digital service, the wire will provide high quality video without the costs usually associated with broadcast newsgathering.
The agency believes that broadcasters will use the competitively-priced service to provide core coverage of diary stories and non-exclusive events allowing them to focus more of their resources on distinctive journalism.
For regional newspapers, the video wire will be offered free on a trial basis, supporting publishers in their ambitions to become multi-platform businesses. The Press Association’s training arm will also be providing courses on video editing to help newspaper clients to maximise the value of the new service.
At launch the video wire will cover up to 30 stories a day across news, sport and entertainment, with interview clips, cutaways and GVs.
Tony Watson, Press Association Managing Director said: “By adding a UK-wide video service to our text and photos, we firmly establish the Press Association as the news agency for Digital Britain.
“The video wire is not only a cost-effective solution for news broadcasters, but will also support regional media players at an important stage in their development as multi-platform businesses.
“With links to every national and regional newspaper and broadcast newsroom in the country, the Press Association is uniquely placed to provide video services for the benefit of the news industry.
“As DCMS and Ofcom grapple with the issue of safeguarding plurality of provision in PSB regional television news, we believe the new UK video service could make a significant contribution to the solutions currently under consideration.”
The Press Association has been producing video since 2005 primarily as edited clips and part of packaged content aimed at the digital market. This is the first time that the service has been available to customers as a file-based ‘wire’ with video alongside text and picture content ready for customers to incorporate into their own digital story-telling. Pre-packaged video material will continue to be available.
