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Anheuser-Busch to launch Bud.TV In an effort to find young male viewers, brewer is set to debut its own Web-based television network in February. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Web surfers, this Bud.TV is for you. Brewer Anheuser-Busch (Charts) announced Wednesday that it will launch a Web-based video network, named Bud.TV, in February. The company says it will feature new humorous webisodes, sporting events, consumer-generated content, field news reports, celebrity interviews, music downloads and comedian vignettes.
The company said the network videos will allow users to view the content in full-screen DVD quality. Content providers will initially include Wild West Picture Show Productions, TriggerStreet.com, LivePlanet, SEED, @radical.media, Omelet and DDB Worldwide, and the company said more providers will be announced in the future. "We're always looking for new opportunities to connect with adult consumers on a more personal level," said a statement from company president August Busch IV. "With adults spending more time online looking for entertainment to fit their lifestyles, we believe Bud.TV will enable us to reach them in an engaging and fun way." Anheuser-Busch is already a major advertiser on television and other traditional media, with U.S. ad spending of $606.7 million last year, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing statistics from TNS Media Intelligence. But the brewer's target audience of young male viewers has become more difficult to reach in recent years through traditional television programming. "Traditional broadcast TV doesn't target to the male 21- to 34-year-olds; it tends to be a broader demographic and a more female draw," Tony Ponturo, Anheuser-Busch's vice president of global media and sports marketing, told the Journal. "So we are taking it upon ourselves to provide programming that hits that target base." In 2007, Anheuser-Busch will dedicate about 10% of its U.S. ad budget to online, according to the Journal, about double the percentage it is spending this year, including online ads on third-party Web sites as well as Bud.TV. |
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