• WSJ Launches "Digits" Video Series; Continues to Lead Newspapers in Online Video

    This week The Wall Street Journal launched a video companion series to its popular "Digits" blog, continuing to prove that online video opens up exciting new opportunities for newspapers. Airing at 1pm each weekday, and thereafter on demand, the series is hosted by MarketWatch's Stacey Delo and showcases others in the Dow Jones family like Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. The Digits video series follows last fall's launch of News Hub, a video news series which in January already accounted for 1 million of the WSJ Digital Network's 5.5 million streams.

    The Journal is right on the mark with its video strategy, and is nicely demonstrating how newspapers can leverage their brands, journalists and advertising relationships into online video. There's nothing fancy about any of this video as the Journal is using cost-effective technologies like Skype and personal video cameras, plus a simple, yet functional set in its newsroom. The Digits video series would not be mistaken for broadcast journalism, but for the web, where real-time original analysis is key, it's well above the quality bar. Obviously the WSJ is a unique property, and it is complimented by other DJ resources. Still, all newspapers should be looking closely at its video strategy and applying its lessons. I've insisted for a long while that online video is anything but a death knell for print publications; the Journal is proving it in spades.

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