Royal to stream 5 hours blocks of TheChive on Pool Deck LED Screens

[rakes5]

I think I preferred the DJs... :eek:

 

This was in the Wall Street Journal today:

 

By MIKE SHIELDS

Sept. 19, 2016 2:48 p.m. ET

 

TheChive, the site that has built a legion of young male fans with its mix of edgy humor, wacky videos and pictures of scantily clad girls, is officially going cruising.

 

The web publisher has signed a deal to distribute video content on Royal Caribbean cruise ships. Specifically, Chive videos—mostly licensed short clips featuring a healthy blend of stunts and pratfalls—will be streamed in five hour blocks on LED screens on the pool deck of all 25 ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, as well as two ships managed by the cruise company’s sister brand Azamara Club Cruises.

 

The nautical distribution deal is the latest expansion of Chive TV, a programming network introduced this past spring that delivers the same five-hour block of video to more than 1,300 bars across the U.S., along with ads.

 

Earlier this year, TheChive started handing out customized Roku devices to bars, offering them a chance at playing free content on their TVs. The videos range from clips licensed from viral video specialist companies like Jukin Media and ViralHog (think guys falling off diving boards or crashing during hang gliding rides) to snippets from videos created by YouTube talent, as well as some Chive originals and even videos submitted by viewers.

 

The bars don’t get paid to showcase this content and the accompanying ads. In fact, it could soon be the reverse. TheChive is exploring a subscription model that would require the bars to pay for the video footage, which already encompasses thousands of pieces of content, said co-founder Leo Resig.

 

Mr. Resig said that the idea for Chive TV was born out of conversations the company was having a few years ago when it was trying to figure out if and how it should tackle the “over the top” TV arena. When TheChive ultimately decided to shift toward bars—seeing a less crowded arena—the company’s executive team saw this move as mostly “falling in the marketing bucket,” he said.

 

But it quickly became a way to earn more ad revenue. “It’s one big billboard for TheChive that we also get to sell advertising on,” he said. “It’s becoming very valuable for monetization.”

 

To that end, outfitting bars with a custom Roku device lets TheChive track which partners are streaming the content when (bars are encouraged to play the videos on at least one TV all the time, even if they’re showing a big sports game on other screens). TheChive has even partnered with the ad tech firm AppNexus to dynamically deliver silent 15-second video ads during breaks in the Chive TV footage.

 

“Digital out of home is actually becoming a big new category for us,” said Eric Hoffert, AppNexus’ vice president of video technology. Mr. Hoffert said that AppNexus can help TheChive deliver ads to specific Roku devices, meaning that advertisers could run ads “targeting bars with one message on the Upper East Side and another in Austin.”

 

The videogame company Square Enix, which has previously worked with TheChive on a series of branded videos for the game “Hitman,” has been running ads on Chive TV for several months.

 

“When we look at TheChive as a whole, its audience fits right in our wheelhouse,” said Mike Silbowitz, senior director of channel, interactive and western studios product marketing at Square Enix. “When you think about running ads in places people actually congregate, it’s an even better way to grab their attention in the real world.”

 

Mr. Resig said eventually TheChive may explore more elaborate sponsorship options for the bar/cruise ship network, something along the lines of ESPN’s SportsCenter’s “Coors Light Cold Hard Facts” segments, which feature athletes answering a short series of questions, all sponsored by the beer brand.

 

For now, he’s excited to bring TheChive to a potentially new crowd, even though cruise ships weren't necessarily part of the initial plan.

“We’ve gotten so many inbound requests,” he said. Chive TV s getting inquiries from fast food chains, bowling alleys and even military bases, he said. “This really helps TheChive get outside the internet and the App Store.”

[OSUZorba]

I prefer Disney's playing of cartoons without sound or movies only, or just when they play music videos. I have a hard time relaxing at the pool when they are blasting NASCAR or some mean nothing college football game. I like TheChive, but it seems like an odd choice as well.

[flczr]

Never heard of it. But, then i don't spend a lot if time watching the big screen on the ship.

[BEENSAILING]

Sounds like an awful idea. Is the target market for Royal now those who would be happy watching this? I wish Royal would invest in upgrading their In stateroom television programming.

 

 

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[easyboy]

Not a fan.

[CapeCodCruiser]

Sounds like they want to turn the pool deck into a frat party....:(