The Washington Post now has a connected TV app, but it’s not a video product
The Washington Post is putting some of its articles on the big screen, launching an a connected TV app that will feature its “most important and interesting news and analysis”.
The Washington Post is bringing select articles to the TV screen
Users can click through the app to watch videos and listen to audio, but the TV product is emphasizing the written word.
“We wanted to bring The Post’s most engaging storytelling to smart TVs, where people are accustomed to watching videos or playing games,” said Kat Downs Mulder, vice-president of product and design at The Washington Post.
“This isn’t a video product. We have created a forward-looking experience that lets readers access our journalism in a convenient way and discover a different role that news can play in their lives.
The Post’s Emerging News Products team is responsible for curating stories featured on the app, which is available globally on Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
A spokesperson for The Washington Post said ads within the connected TV newsreader can look similar to ads in other digital outlets, but they can also be uniquely tailored for the platform. The app will also supported branded content.
SAP, represented by its media agency PHD, is sponsoring the app launch. The spokesperson said SAP is running a customized version of its brand creative in the newsreader.
While taking a different approach, The Washington Post isn’t the first traditional print outlet to delve into TV. In June, The New York Times debuted its in-depth news show, The Weekly, that airs on FX and streams on Hulu.
The Post, however, is sticking more closely to its print roots in the new medium of connected TV. The Post’s in-house research team partnered with SAP to analyze Fire TV user habits to test and help guide construction of its news app.
“As we build products, we work with our in-house Research team to test new experiences with customers. Hearing directly from customers was vital to developing a new navigation system based on TV remotes rather than touch screens,” said Downs Mulder.