To help newsrooms and publishers strengthen their online video capabilities and experiment with new formats for video journalism, ten media outlets from India have been selected for receiving YouTube innovation funding as part of the Google News Initiative (GNI).
The 10 organisations selected among the 87 selected from 23 countries include Asianet News Media and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., FACTLY, Bharatiya Digital Party (BhaDiPa), India Today Group, NDTV, Gaon Connection, Live Data Visualisation Pvt. Ltd., NYOOOZ, ShepHertz and Video Volunteers.
Timothy Katz, Director of News Partnerships, YouTube, said in a blog post on Tuesday, "Today's announcement reinforces our commitment to supporting a strong future for news video".
"Hailing from 23 countries around the world, they represent a diverse array of broadcasters, traditional and digital publishers, local media, agencies and creators, but all share a commitment to quality journalism and a spirit of innovation," Katz added.
YouTube committed to a $25 million funding to support the future of news, as a part of the launch of Google News Initiative in March.
Many projects that got selected for the innovation funding are focused on expanding newsroom video operations and trying new ways of news reporting via videos to reach a younger audience online and to explore live and fact-checking formats.
Other projects look at the sustainability of news organisations, including work on new business models and programmes to support a healthy news ecosystem.
"Over the coming months, we'll be sharing insights gained from the projects and giving newsrooms the opportunity to benefit from the learnings," Katz added.
(With IANS inputs)
