AOL's New York headquarters are in New York City. AOL has been holding presentations for ad buyers that mimic the events traditionally put on by TV broadcasters to unveil their new shows.Andrew Burton/Getty Images
AOL Inc. is courting Canadian advertisers more aggressively, announcing that for the first time it will produce Web video series made in Canada.
The company is making the announcement on Wednesday, detailing seven Canadian series that it will add to its roster of long-form video content. Like other technology companies, including Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc., AOL has been holding presentations for ad buyers that mimic the events traditionally put on by TV broadcasters to unveil their new shows.
Because younger people are watching more video online, advertisers have been spending more money on this type of content. Last year, AOL received Emmy nominations for two U.S.-produced series, Park Bench with Steve Buscemi and The Future Starts Here.
Advertiser response in the United States led AOL Canada to begin distributing more video content on AOL.ca and other Canadian sites last year, and to promote that content to Canadian advertisers. Before that, less than 5 per cent of AOL's Canadian video ad revenue came from the company's original content; last year, that number was closer to 25 per cent. Over all, video ad revenue is growing by roughly 50 per cent each year, said Joe Strolz, general manager of AOL Canada.
The new online shows will include Say It, Make It, Eat It, in which celebrity chefs create meals using hard-to-pronounce ingredients; a reality show about real estate called I'm Sold; and French-language profiles of influential women, Femmes d'Action.
"It's increasingly the case that audiences are consuming content on mobile phones, on tablets and on devices that are something other than the TV," Mr. Strolz said, adding they often discover that content through referrals from friends on social media. "What makes content shareable? It's content that is tuned to the local voice, it's responsive to things that are going on."
AOL Canada has partnered with three media agency holding companies to sell ads against its video content in Canada: Dentsu Inc.'s Amplifi; Interpublic Group of Cos. Inc.'s IPG Mediabrands and UM Canada; and Omnicom Media Group.