WSJ Live shifts away from live content

Madeline Welsh of the Nieman Journalism Lab writes about how The Wall Street Journal’s video operation is shifting away from live, TV-style content.

Welsh writes, “At its height, WSJ Live was producing more than 4 1/2 hours of live programming a day, with shows like News Hub, Money Beat, and Asia Today. In 2012, it said had completely sold out available advertising slots on the app.

“But most live online news video efforts have struggled to find an audience. The Times killed TimesCast. The Post cut back severely on PostTV’s live programming. And the Journal has followed suit. Its video page still lists six scheduled programs, but only two have produced new material since May; together, they produce about half an hour of new live video each weekday.

“Andy Regal, executive editor of video at the Wall Street Journal, said the branding shift doesn’t signal the final nail in the coffin for live video at the Journal: ‘We continue to stress live video. We are covering press conferences and live events all the time.’ (The Journal’s iOS video apps are still branded as WSJ Live, but they haven’t been updated in over two years.)

“But the larger shift is, as at other publishers, away from TV-style live programming and toward more slickly produced video available on demand. It’s a decision born out of a business imperative, says Regal. ‘People come to the Wall Street Journal when they have time, or need a break or when there’s a big event,’ he said. ‘If we continue to try to drive people to appointment television, it’s just not a workable business model. That’s been proven by most who have tried it.'”

Read more here.