A six-figure investment in the studio facility – that should buy a few professional microphones and tables and chairs. Though rumour has it VNU’s journalists are getting a bit irked by the extra workload of producing podcasts with no additional renumeration……and the claim that VNU is the first European B2B publisher to have invested in an internet TV service is surely a bit rich – what about Silicon?
VNU to expand digital offering with content studio
by Alex Donohue Brand Republic 26 Jun 2006
LONDON – VNU Business Publications is to expand its digital media offering to its B2B stable by creating an in-house audio and video content studio for its B2B titles.
The company, which publishes The Inquirer, Computing, IT Week and Accountancy Age, said VNU On Air would incorporate a mixture of breaking news, industry discussion, analysis, podcasts and conference reports, aimed at its 4m monthly users.
VNU Business Publications, the London-based publishing arm of the Dutch-owned VNU Business Media Europe, claims it is the first time a European B2B publisher has invested in an internet TV service.
Ruud Baker, chief executive officer of VNU Business Media Europe, said: "The move will enable the company to take advantage of innovations such as vod, pod and webcasting, and increase the value it provides to both its information subscribers and its advertising partners."
The company said it had been honing its video and audio events offering over the last two years, prompting it to invest in in-house facilities.
The VNU On Air facilities will include four London-based studios and theatre space, equipped to broadcast live-on-air events, streamed content and seminars in HD quality.
John Barnes, publishing director at VNU’s business technology group, added: "We have made a significant six-figure investment in building and equipping the VNU On Air studio complex.
"We have a facility with the scope and flexibility for us to host a variety of events for partners and to offer them a wider range of services with increased levels of audience interactivity."
VNU said the steps were a "significant step" towards transforming its UK and European business output into one capable of "exploiting every possible media platform".
Barnes said: "The new internet video and audio packages we plan to deliver give us ways to strengthen the indispensable connection between highly segmented and identifiable audiences and vendors who want to target them."
4 replies on “VNU’s non-toilet podcast studio”
I’m just looking forward to them getting a daily podcast out of Mike Mcgee 🙂
Mike’s far too important to be doing podcasts, surely 😉
When the whole pare-ZD-Down-to-the-Web thing happened, I kept telling people that CNET wasn’t a pureplay because it had the cable channel. Interesting how broadband is driving more publishers that way. I feel of the wrong generation though; I crave quality rather than reality TV, well-written text rather than breaking-news, stream of consciousness audio. Terminally unhip.
Andrew,
Small point but… if you look closely at the press release, it describes VNU as the “European B2B print publisher” to build such a facility.
Which kind of rules out comparisons with Silicon. . .
Cheers
Peter