The Associated Press (AP) has entered into an agreement with Voxant Inc to distribute a selection of its news stories, videos and photographs to blogs and other websites through Voxant's advertising-supported syndication network.
Voxant, a startup company based in Reston, US, has deals in place to syndicate news from a number of major outlets including Reuters, Agence France-Press, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), the Denver Post, Newsvine and HowStuffWorks.
Through a website called TheNewsRoom.com, Voxant allows Web publishers to select news stories, photos and videos from various providers and legally embed them on their own sites. The service will be supported by advertising, with the revenues being shared among the website, Voxant and the content provider, said Voxant spokeswoman Kerri Glover.
“The 'long tail of the Web,' has become a cliché, but Voxant really does offer a convenient way to reach the millions of people who are only interested in a fraction of AP's content," said Jane Seagrave, vice president and director of AP Digital. "Voxant provides a vehicle for AP to allow non-traditional customers to post individual stories, photos and video clips while maintaining control over its intellectual property."
The Viral Syndication Network makes it easy for news publishers to distribute fully licenced video, print, audio and still photo content on thousands of websites and blogs. The content may be obtained from TheNewsRoom and redistributed through viral mashing, Voxant’s unique process of embedding news content and advertising on an infinite number of sites. Voxant’s advertising-supported network is free to Web publishers and provides a new revenue stream to originating content providers and distributors.
“The importance of having Associated Press content for TheNewsRoom cannot be overstated,” Voxant CEO Jeff Crigler said. “The AP is one of the world’s premiere news-gathering organizations and its content provides a rich resource for Web publishers and bloggers who join the Viral Syndication Network.”
Specific terms of Voxant's revenue-sharing deal with AP or other providers weren't disclosed. Glover said the news on Voxant's syndication network, which launched last November, was aimed at smaller to mid-sized websites and blogs, giving them a legal way to use stories, photos and video from major news providers while also creating a revenue opportunity.
