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ABC News is moving into digital video through a new co-production deal with digital media startup ATTN:.
Under the agreement, the two companies will co-produce at least 10 original video segments for distribution across their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, ATTN: co-founder and editor in chief Matthew Segal tells The Hollywood Reporter. In addition, Segal will join ABC News as a contributor.
The videos will include guest interviews, features and investigative stories that draw on ABC’s roster of anchors and correspondents, as well as footage from existing news brands including Good Morning America, World News Tonight and Nightline.
Segal says he is looking forward to “leveraging many of the great resources, the international bureaus, the excellent reporting and talent of ABC News and incorporating it into our style at best practices.”
ATTN: launched in 2014 as a production house for issues-based video clips that would be distributed online. It now counts Facebook as a primary distribution channel for its short videos on topics such as birth control, the minimum wage and mental health. Now, ABC News will leverage the expertise that ATTN: has developed in the social video space. “Great journalism resonates with audiences across all platforms,” Colby Smith, vp ABC News Digital, said in a statement. “Partnering with ATTN: allows us to experiment even further with new formats. We will take compelling stories and interviews and craft them in a way that feels organic to our digital platforms.”
ATTN:, meanwhile, has been looking for ways to expand its storytelling to new platforms. Earlier this year, it launched interview series Paying Attention on YouTube, but Segal calls television “the next frontier” for the company. The hope is that some of these segments with ABC News could also find linear distribution.
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