Sky pulls videos from Twitter posts, embraces Facebook
Sky News will no longer post videos on Twitter but it’s among the broadcasters doing content deals with Facebook.
Sky News will no longer post videos on Twitter in a bid to monetise its content and stop the misuse of its journalism by anonymous accounts on the bluebird platform.
The decision by Sky News comes as Facebook announces a set of new exclusive news content deals with Australia’s major media broadcasters and websites just two weeks after the ACCC handed down a scathing report into the impact the digital media giants are having on journalism.
Paul Whittaker, chief executive of Sky News, said the broadcaster would post tweets on the platform with links to its website, but would no longer distribute video.
“Following an internal review of our platforms and partners, from this week we will no longer make our video available on Twitter, however, we will continue to utilise the platform primarily for breaking news and to post links to content on SkyNews.com.au,” Mr Whittaker said.
Twitter has been used by a range of online activists to attack Sky and its advertisers, cutting and creating fake news content from videos posted on the platform.
Twitter was understood to have been largely uncooperative in helping identify the creators of the edited videos.
At the same time Sky has announced a range of news content deals with YouTube, Microsoft, Facebook and Taboola.
Facebook has revealed an additional six content deals with commercial broadcasters and youth publishing websites to experiment with video-on-demand platform, Facebook Watch.
Mr Whittaker said the new partnership deals were “an important first step” to monetising news content.
“Partnerships with YouTube, Microsoft News, Facebook and Taboola are an important first step - a long time in the making and with still a long way to go - to monetise our trusted news content on digital platforms ensuring continued investment and focus on local journalism,” he said.
“The digital content agreements will deliver increased reach for our premium news and introduce new audiences to the award-winning content available across the full suite of Sky News channels on Foxtel.”
As of today, Facebook will launch exclusive news content through Facebook Watch with broadcasters Nine, Seven, Ten, Sky News, Junkee and Pedestrian.
The one-year “substantial investment”, understood to cost seven figures, will kick off initially with exclusive bulletins from Channel Seven, Nine and Network Ten on the platform.
7News will run The Latest on Facebook Watch, a bulletin with anchor Michael Usher, while Nine News will run 9NewsWatch at 8pm daily with Sylvia Jefferys.
Ten will run 10 News First on Facebook Watch, providing users with updates throughout the day.
Craig McPherson, Seven Network’s director of news and public affairs, said it was a good chance for content makers to get revenue from Facebook, while Nine’s director of partnerships and strategy, Alexander Needs, said it allowed premium brands to test how they can use Facebook.
Sky News will run a daily news show, Unpacked, which takes an in- depth look into a major news story each day. Madeleine Hale, who will be a producer and show presenter, said she was excited by the opportunity presented via the Facebook-based show.
“We’ll be able to take a deep dive into a story that’s getting traction online,” Ms Hale said.
Junkee Media will run a nightly news show called The Takeaway, and Pedestrian TV will host a weekly interview series over three months called 15 Minutes. SBS has also locked in a content deal, and will provide snippets of its news content for Facebook Watch.
Each program has been created and paid for by the networks, while Facebook will pay a minimum guarantee of advertising revenue share to publishers as part of the arrangement. Facebook’s news partnerships lead for Australia and New Zealand, Andrew Hunter, said the arrangement would focus on two types of deals.
“The first is that there’ll be a number of new shows exclusive to Facebook that the broadcasters will be producing and will be experimenting alongside these guys to work on new formats, different types of storytelling and focusing on trending topics.
“Another part to it is with the broadcasters, where they will be publishing longer-form linear clips from their TV broadcast.”
Mr Hunter said Facebook was “quietly confident” the trial would work for the publishers.
The rollout of the Facebook programs and Sky News’ decision to cut video ties with Twitter follows the release of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s report into digital platforms, released more than a week ago. But Mr Hunter said the timing was “coincidental” and the conversations had been ongoing for more than a year.
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