4. Exclusive: Oath's plan to scale vertical video
Oath, the newly-formed mega-media brand that includes Yahoo, HuffPost, AOL and others, is using a new video product called "Slick" to create vertical video at scale. Slick allows editors to "videofy" text stories into a vertical-driven mobile experience that can be used for mobile web article pages, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and within Yahoo's native apps. (See an example here.)
- Alex Wallace, head of Oath Studios, tells Axios that the company is planning on expanding Slick to its technology properties, TechCrunch and Engadget, in the coming months, and says there's interest in expanding to other publishers.
- Both the AP and Reuters have signed on to have their content produced across Oath using the tool, and other partners including Time Inc and NBC Sports are currently testing the product.
Why it matters: Growing mobile video in general has a heavy connection to Verizon's overall focus on video, according to Wallace. "Slick is part of an Oath key initiative this year to grow mobile engagement within Oath's power areas, including sports, news, finance, and mail." These are core areas that will help Verizon develop direct-to-consumer relationships on mobile, something telecom companies have been trying lately with the acquisition of digital media companies.
Sound smart: The bigger Oath's content footprint grows, the better it is for Verizon, which could offer favorable content deals for Verizon customers, further driving its telecom business. Matthew Ellis, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Verizon, said last week on the company's Q3 earnings call that with "the addition of Oath, Verizon's addressable market has expanded from millions of wireless and wireline customers to about one billion global content consumers." Ellis says Oath revenue was $2 billion for the quarter.