NEW DELHI: Noida-based digital news startup Nyoooz is among 10 media outlets from India that have been selected for receiving YouTube innovation funding as part of the Google News Initiative (GNI) to help digital newsrooms and publishers strengthen online video capabilities and experiment with new formats for video journalism.
Apart from Nyoooz, founded and headed by former TV journalist-turned-entrepreneur Alok Verma, the other Indian news organisations are Asianet News Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Bharatiya Digital Party (BhaDiPa), FACTLY, Gaon Connection, India Today Group, Live Data Visualisation Pvt Ltd, NDTV, NYOOOZ, ShepHertz and Video Volunteers.
These companies form a group of 87 media outlets selected from 23 countries, wire news agency IANS reported.
According to a blog spot on Tuesday by Timothy Katz, director of news partnerships, YouTube, the announcement “reinforces our commitment to supporting a strong future for news video”.
As part of the launch of Google News Initiative in March, YouTube committed $25 million funding to support globally the future of news.
“Hailing from 23 countries around the world, they represent a diverse array of broadcasters, traditional and digital publishers, local media, agencies and creators, but all share a commitment to quality journalism and a spirit of innovation,” Katz added.
Many of the projects selected for the innovation funding are focused on expanding newsroom video operations and trying out new ways of reporting news through video — from reaching younger audiences online to exploring live and fact-checking formats.
Other projects look at the sustainability of news organisations, including work on new business models and programmes to support a healthy news ecosystem.
“Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing insights gained from the projects and giving newsrooms the opportunity to benefit from the learnings,” Katz explained.
Nyoooz is a digital news media outlet started by a former journalist in the same way as former NDTV anchor Pankaj Pachauri ventured into GoNews, India’s first mobile app-based news channel. Serial entrepreneur and investor Srikant Sastri too had invested in Nyoooz realizing the potential.
