NEW YORK TIMES EXPANDING VIDEO UNIT

It may not be ready to compete directly against the broadcast networks and the cable news channels, but the New York Times said on Tuesday that it is beefing up its video operations in the wake of studies indicating that the number of viewers who now watch its videos have doubled over the past year. Interviewed by the website Beet.TV, Rebecca Howard, the Times‘s video manager, said that the Times began offering a new thrice-daily feature last Wednesday called The News Minute. “There’s other products like that, of course, out in the world, but we felt the New York Times version of it would easily surface to the top.” Howard says that the Times has upgraded its post-production facilities and personnel, allowing the video unit to produce fully developed features with faster turn-around and include graphics and animation. “There’s a big push [for video] within the company,” Howard said. “It’s one of the biggest initiatives we’re running right now.”