AOL has launched ‘AOL ON’, its new premium video platform in the UK, featuring news, entertainment, style, health, cars, food, travel, parenting and tech content across 18 channels, with a number of high-profile publishers already on board.
The move comes as the internet firm continues its strategy to focus on media publishing and its ad networks, buying the Huffington Post and TechCrunch in recent years while boosting its ad network capabilities.
AOL ON launch partners include Endemol beyond, Channel 4 News, ITN, Scripps Networks International, Little Dot Studios, MyMovies, Videojug, Trinity Mirror, Telegraph Media Group and TalkTalk.
The AOL On Network includes both curated and original content. The launch builds on AOL’s existing video offering through branded content distribution business, Be On and programmatic video trading platform Adap.tv.
The AOL On Network is comprised of over 750,000 pieces of premium video covering a wide range of topics including news, entertainment, style and tech, which is distributed through a network of publishers including Trinity Mirror, Telegraph Media Group, TalkTalk, Local World, Videojug and TVGuide.co.uk.
AOL’s owned and operated destinations, The Huffington Post UK, AOL, Parentdish, MyDaily and TechCrunch also form part of the publishing network.
AOL On (on.aol.co.uk) will serve as the video hub for AOL’s video experiences. UK content providers at launch include Endemol beyond, Channel 4 News, ITN, Scripps Networks International, MyMovies, Zoom.In, Parentchannel.tv and Little Dot Studios, who will be providing clips from some of the UK’s biggest shows including Supernanny and Embarrassing Bodies.
Graham Moysey, Head of International, AOL said; “We’re coming to the market with a new offering at a time when there is an increasing appetite and demand for online video from advertisers and consumers. AOL On is already the web’s largest premium curated video library and today we’re launching with some of the UK’s leading content producers and publishers and looking forward to getting many more on board in the coming months.”
The AOL On Network has seen great success in North America, achieving the number one spot in comScore’s video category with four billion ad streams, and as the top premium digital video provider with one billion content streams. Part of this success is attributed to AOL’s venture into original content creation through the AOL Originals, a slate of high quality original programming with talent such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker and Nicole Richie.
In addition to the online video hub, the AOL On app will be available in the UK in the Apple App and Google Play stores in early April.