The Economist launches standalone video arm
Called Economist Films, the unit promises “high-end, factual programmes that capture the voice and identity of The Economist”.
Films, which already run on economist.com, will stand alone from the weekly output of the magazine in print and digital form.
The service will be available for brands to sponsor an episode or a series, but they will have no influence over the editorial content, the publisher has clarified. The Economist launched an expanded native advertising offering in April last year.
The opening production slate will be made up of short-form videos that will be screened across the publisher’s social and digital platforms.
The aim is to create a wide range of short and long-form content, both sponsored and commissioned, in documentary and programme formats, the publisher says.
The function will initially be based in The Economist’s headquarters in London and led by Nicholas Minter-Green as president of Economist Films.
The Economist Group CEO, Chris Stibbs, said, “While the potential of video is clear as a commercial driver to reach audiences and fulfil the evolving demands of our brand partners, it is essential that we launch a product that reflects the quality and integrity of The Economist newspaper. Economist Films is founded on the unflinching independence of our journalistic pursuit and it’s the potential to translate that idea into moving-image that creates the most powerful proposition for brand partners and viewers.”
Economist Films comes five months after the publisher introduced a daily edition, the Economist Espresso app.
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