TouchCast, the interactive video platform co-founded by former TechCrunch editor Erick Schonfeld, has been gaining traction in use by the BBC. Now it is announcing The Wall Street Journal will also use the innovative new service.
TouchCast lets video producers embed interactive web elements including images, maps, web pages and other videos inside digital video, each expanding when clicked on by viewers, opening up possibilities for immersive storytelling.
The BBC has been using TouchCast on iPad since this summer on a range of stories from Ebola and the Scottish referendum to architecture and cats
“(WSJ) is about to roll out TouchCast on a regular basis,” Schonfeld tells Beet.TV in this video interview. “There’s a talented crew making WSJ interactive videos.
“It’s going to be a completely new form of video for them. They’re being super-creative. Most of their pieces are in the studio. Sarah Murray does stand-ups in the newsroom. They figured out a way to really rapidly do interactive videos about breaking news.”
As well as using its production suite, customers integrate with TouchCast’s player software. Founded a couple of years ago, TouchCast may be geared toward interactive editorial today – but it’s easy to imagine advertisers taking interest, too. “Our engagement is through the roof,” Schonfeld adds. “More than 50% of people who view these TouchCasts are actually clicking on at least one element – that’s unheard of.”
