HuffPost Live was an Internet-based
video streaming network run by ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', a news website in the United States. The network produced original programming as well as live conversations among users via platforms such as
Skype
Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...
and
Google+
Google+ (pronounced and sometimes written as Google Plus; sometimes called G+) was a social network owned and operated by Google. The network was launched on June 28, 2011, in an attempt to challenge other social networks, linking other Google p ...
. Live content was previously streamed for eight hours each weekday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. Instead of the usual TV news format of individual shows, the network was divided into shorter segments covering an individual story or topic from the parent website as well as other segments pertaining to a specific part of the site itself, such as politics, money, front page, and the like.
It launched on August 13, 2012. On January 8, 2016,
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington (née Ariadnē-Anna Stasinopoúlou, el, Αριάδνη-Άννα Στασινοπούλου ; born July 15, 1950) is a Greek-American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman. She is a co-founder of '' Th ...
announced that HuffPost Live would be scaled back to reorganize ''The Huffington Post''s video strategy toward more shareable online content.
Ever since this reorganization, HuffPost Live's programming has consisted of rerun content from previous truly live shows combined with a varying number of new live celebrity interviews per day before the cessation of new live content on March 28, 2016.
History
''The Huffington Post'' co-founder
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington (née Ariadnē-Anna Stasinopoúlou, el, Αριάδνη-Άννα Στασινοπούλου ; born July 15, 1950) is a Greek-American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman. She is a co-founder of '' Th ...
announced plans in February 2012 to launch a "breakthrough project" in a blog post to mark a year since the news website was acquired by
AOL.
The project, then called "HuffPost Streaming Network", was described by Huffington as a "more relaxed, more free-flowing, and much more spontaneous and interactive" platform to disseminate content, unlike
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
.
The project was later renamed "HuffPost Live". ''Huffington Post'' founding editor
Roy Sekoff and Gabriel Lewis, head of AOL Studios, co-created and developed the project.
The third member of the senior management team is Mitch Semel, Executive Editor of HuffPost Live.
Sekoff described it as "
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
meets
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
".
He said the project intends to take advantage of the ''Huffington Post''s "engaged" community which produced 54 million comments on the site in 2011.
The company held a demonstration to showcase the interactive components of the network on February 2, 2012 at a press conference in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
During the press conference, Huffington noted that the network will launch with 100-strong staff.
The site launched on August 13, 2012 with Verizon and Cadillac listed as founding partners.
In December 2014, HuffPost Live and Kosiner Venture Capital made an application to the
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission to bring the service to conventional television in Canada.
Beginning on January 11, 2016 the live portion of HuffPost Live was significantly scaled back as a part of a reorganization effort announced on January 8, 2016.
HuffPost Live's programming is now made up of mostly old content being re-aired. The live component continues to exist, though the emphasis on news and politics has been removed, instead being replaced with a few celebrity interviews per day at scheduled times.
On March 25, 2016 HuffPost Live aired its final segment, an interview with Ric Flair and Charlotte Flair. As a replacement, the same format will be attempted utilizing Facebook's new Facebook Live feature. The first segment, under the HuffPost Entertainment Facebook Page, featured Tom Hiddleston and Wrenn Schmidt being interviewed by Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani on the HuffPost Live set but featured no branding and utilized a single roving camera rather than the previous multi-camera format.
Former hosts
*
Alyona Minkovski
Alyona Leonidovna Minkovski (russian: Алёна Леони́довна Минько́вская; born 30 January 1986) is a Russian American journalist, television host and commentator. In 2011, she was named on the Forbes 30 under 30 media li ...
* Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani
*
Josh Zepps
*
Marc Lamont Hill
Marc Lamont Hill (born December 17, 1978) is an American academic, author, activist, and television personality. He is a professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Hill is the host of '' Up ...
*
Nancy Redd
Nancy Amanda Redd (born April 28, 1981) is an American author who was Miss Virginia in 2003 and competed in Miss America, finishing in the top ten and winning the preliminary "Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimwear" competition.
She authored the book ' ...
* Ricky Camilleri
* Caitlyn Becker
*
Janet Varney
Janet Varney (born February 16, 1976) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for voicing Korra in the Nickelodeon animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', co-starring as Sheriff Evie Barret in the television ser ...
Content
In its restructured format, HuffPost Live only covered celebrity interviews, select segments and special live events.
HuffPost Live formerly featured 8 hours of daily programming for five days a week, on-demand, on mobile and online.
Currently, programming only features previously aired segments.
Since its launch, HuffPost Live concentrated on driving viewer engagement. “The news is no longer about a few people telling everyone else what happened—it's about everyone telling everyone what's happening right now. And now. And now… This shift from presentation to participation is what fuels HuffPost Live,” said Huffington Post in the launch press release. Segments often feature viewers and other members of the Huffington Post universe, including reporters and members of the Huffington Post community. Segments are open to participants joining the conversation via
webcam
A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in videotelephony, livestreaming and social media, and security. Webcams can be built-in computer hardware or peripheral ...
,
smart phones
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...
and
tablet computer
A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being com ...
s using
Skype
Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...
,
Google+
Google+ (pronounced and sometimes written as Google Plus; sometimes called G+) was a social network owned and operated by Google. The network was launched on June 28, 2011, in an attempt to challenge other social networks, linking other Google p ...
and other video communication platforms.
Programming is produced from AOL/Huffington Post studios in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
Although there was initially a staff in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
as well, the LA production site was shut down on Aug 30, 2013, with some of the LA staff relocating to NY.
The live stream is interrupted by promos for HuffPost Live after which a still promoting the next program replaces the video for the ongoing program. The viewer must click on the website to get the video back.
Advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
on the network consists of pre-roll commercials on
video-on-demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...
clips.
The network is also backed by "premium" sponsors that will integrate their advertising into the network's content.
Videos produced by HuffPost Live are available on
over-the-top services including
Boxee,
Roku
Roku ( ) is a brand of hardware digital media players manufactured by American company Roku, Inc. They offer access to streaming media content from online services.
The first Roku model, developed in collaboration with Netflix, was introduced ...
,
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
and
Apple TV.
Awards
2012:
Mashable's "Biggest Innovation in Media"
2013:
The Webbys – News & Information Channel;
The Webbys – Media Streaming (Nominee);
Tellys – Online Video, News Features (Bronze);
Appy – Entertainment: Professional Content;
Cine Golden Eagle – Original Digital™ Division, Non-Fiction – Documentary ;
NABJ – Digital Media Interactive: News – Chicago Killing Field
2014:
Digiday – Best Video Platform;
Gracie – Outstanding Online Producer, "Special Series on Gun Violence";
The Webbys – News & Information Channel;
EPPY Award – Best Webcast
''HuffPost Live Conversations''
''HuffPost Live Conversations'' is an hour-long program featuring the latest HuffPost Live interviews with celebrities, politicians, athletes, journalists and more. Episodes are available for viewing on Hulu, through a partnership that launched on November 10, 2014. Every day, new episodes of ''HuffPost Live Conversations'' will be added to HuffPost Live's page on Hulu. ''HuffPost Live Conversations'' also airs twice a day on MGM's diginet, The Works, where the programming is formatted into a two-hour block, featuring an eclectic mix of content ranging from politics to entertainment to international news and more.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:HuffPost Streaming Network
Internet television channels
Internet properties established in 2012
2012 establishments in the United States
HuffPost
Defunct American websites
Internet properties disestablished in 2016
2016 disestablishments in the United States