Desktop devices took an early lead when team-based sports news publisher Bleacher Report launched its video initiative two and a half years ago. Now the handheld has drawn level on points.
“Mobile has caught up,” video VP Bill McCandless tells Beet.TV, adding that mobile traffic sometimes trumps desktop for Bleacher. “Because it’s weekend-driven, we see mobile explode on weekends and around larger events.
“My team thinks mobile-first; we need to start with that experience and what’s in that person’s hand. Mobile is a massive part of what’s going on and in terms of where we’re going to go this year in terms of video.”
Bleacher launched its TeamStream mobile app, comprising feeds from third-party publishers as well as its own, in 2011, adding a tablet edition in 2012. McCandless is targeting 2014 to be a year of video investment.
The fast-growing independent sports blog was acuqured by Time Warner’s Turner unit in 2012.
He was interviewed by TouchCast co-founder Erick Schonfeld at Beet.TV’s annual executive retreat in Vieques, Puerto Rico.