As an online video sharing platform founded eight years ago, YouTube is still gaining in popularity. And as competition grows for viewership among media outlets, many are using YouTube channels to showcase their reporting. A key driver in this trend is Ukraine-produced Jewish News One, which on June 17 reached the benchmark of 10 million views on the video sharing site. More of a global news source than anything Ukrainian, according to producer Peter Dickinson, JN1 typifies how audiences can be reached through YouTube in a fast and convenient way.
Established in
September 2011, Jewish News
One YouTube channel got more than 5 million views in its first year. The
next 5 million views came in the next eight months. “We are not trying to hide our
bond with nationality. We are the Jewish News channel, so I suppose people are
kind of attracted to that,” Dickinson said explaining the popularity of JN1
YouTube channel.
“Besides that
the format of the channel is totally compatible with the Internet. These are
small, one- or two-minute long news reports and it is another reason why it’s
been so successful because it’s convenient to watch,” he explained.
Dickinson added
that referring to national news sources is trendy now and people are used to
getting opinions from different sources like Russia Today which recently
reached the one billion view mark on YouTube.
According to
the latest data by RG.ru, Russia Today YouTube channel has become the most
popular in the world, with ABC News far behind with 528 million views. Al
Jazeera English has 465 million, CNN has just 175 million and Deutsche Welle
English, France 24 English, Euronews International and CNN International have not
reached 100 million views.
“It is a
multi-polar world in that sense, 20 years ago we had CNN, now we have 8 or 10
well- known news brands, and we are joining that group,” Dickinson said.
The 24-hour JN1
news channel was founded in October 2011 by Vadym Rabynovych and Igor
Kolomoisky at a cost of $5 million aimed
at presenting a Jewish perspective on world events.
Rabynovich is a wealthy businessman
who is vice president of the European Jewish Union. Kolomoisky is its president
and a billionaire member of the so-called Privat Group.
Kyiv Post staff
writer Daryna Shevchenko can be reached at [email protected].
