Facebook’s First Video Business Accelerator Launches With 12 Publishers From Across Asia Pacific Including Two From NZ

2nd June 2021 - A brand new, tuition-free program aimed at teaching global newsrooms sustainable business strategies around video launches today. The Video Business Accelerator is a cohort-based and expert-led online training program to empower news organizations to design and implement strategies, build working prototypes, and launch revenue-generating video projects. The program is offered by the Facebook Journalism Project in collaboration with the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

The program kicks off with the Asia Pacific cohort, a group of 12 newsrooms from the region that will gather virtually for a six-month training program, starting June 9. The Video Business Accelerator is designed for publishers who have existing video units and are ready to refine strategies around video to grow revenue sustainably, capture new audiences, measure the success of their efforts, and rejuvenate their brands on different platforms.

“Video journalism has been one of the most resilient forms of reporting and is still crucial. But perhaps equally as important is the ability for news organizations to create a sustainable business strategy to ensure newsrooms can continue producing video stories and reach audiences that prefer to consume journalism in a visual way, often on their mobile devices,” said Anita Zielina, director of strategic initiatives at the Newmark J-School.

Participants will first go through a 10-week training focusing on the business of video, taught by industry experts from around the world. Next, they will apply for a grant to develop a video project over the following three months. Participating teams will be advised by professional coaches throughout the program.

“These grants give news organizations the ability to jump right into prototyping ideas,” said Johanna Carrillo, vice president of programs at ICFJ. “That support, along with the expert mentorship, puts them in a position to improve their video strategies and strengthen their bottom lines. And that is essential, because it means they can continue to produce independent, compelling journalism.”

The inaugural Asia-Pacific cohort is made up of news organizations from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. The newsrooms range from independent start-ups to large public broadcasters.

Anjali Kapoor, director of news partnerships, Facebook Asia Pacific said: “We are thrilled to extend our video accelerator programs to 12 newsrooms across the Asia Pacific. We know a key goal for many newsrooms in this region is to improve video content in order to grow and engage their audiences. Our partnership with CUNY and ICFJ brings the region’s newsrooms together to learn from industry leaders and share best practices. We are excited to see how the participants will incorporate what they learn to create quality video and support them in identifying how they can use video as part of their business strategy.”

After the Asia Pacific cohort finishes, the next participant group will come from Latin America, starting in September.

Meet the 2021 Asia-Pacific cohort of the Video Business Accelerator.

• KiniTV is a digital-first news organization from Malaysia.
• MCOT is a broadcast newsroom from Thailand.
• Mothership.sg is a digital-first news organization from Singapore.
• The News Lens is a digital-first news organization from Taiwan.
• New Media Group is a digital and print news organization from Hong Kong.
• The New Zealand Herald is a newspaper from New Zealand.
• Prothom Alo is a newspaper from Bangladesh.
• Rappler is a digital-first news organization from the Philippines.
• Roar Media is a digital news organization from Sri Lanka.
• Sinar Harian is a newspaper from Malaysia.
• The Spinoff is a digital-first news magazine from New Zealand.
• Voice TV is a broadcast newsroom from Thailand.

The Video Accelerator Program

The Facebook Journalism Project’s Video Accelerator program helps news publishers create excellent video and build sustainable business models that work. Funded by the Facebook Journalism Project (FJP), each Accelerator includes hands-on workshops led by news industry veterans and coaching from industry experts. Catch up on all the lessons from the Video Accelerator here.

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