What's Happening?
The New York Times has launched a new 'Watch' tab in its flagship app, marking a significant expansion into visual journalism. This mobile-native destination for vertical video features short-form clips from various sections of The Times, including News,
Opinion, Cooking, Wirecutter, and The Athletic. The initiative is part of a broader transformation of The Times' newsroom into a multimedia engine, producing approximately 75 hours of professionally made video each month. Video consumption across The Times' platforms has more than doubled year over year, with viewers streaming hundreds of millions of minutes of Times-produced clips monthly. The 'Watch' tab is designed to be a curated feed built for discovery, relying on human curation rather than algorithmic ranking, and aims to expose users to the full breadth of The Times' journalism.
Why It's Important?
The introduction of the 'Watch' tab represents a strategic move by The New York Times to adapt to changing media consumption habits, where audiences increasingly engage with immersive, short-form video content. This development opens new avenues for monetization, allowing The Times to pair storytelling with high-impact inventory that aligns with current content consumption trends. By prioritizing editorial judgment over machine-driven personalization, The Times differentiates itself from social platforms, emphasizing discovery and editorial range. This approach not only enhances user engagement but also offers marketers a unique environment to reach audiences, potentially boosting advertising revenue and brand visibility.
What's Next?
The Times plans to open the 'Watch' format to a small group of beta advertisers in 2026, building on lessons from its Games app, where vertical interstitial ads have shown high viewability and brand-lift improvements. This rollout will allow brands to reuse social assets and launch campaigns quickly, without lengthy approval cycles. The ad strategy reflects The Times' broader product philosophy of moving slowly, learning deeply, and then scaling. As the 'Watch' tab evolves, it may further integrate with The Times' app ecosystem, enhancing the multimedia experience for users and providing advertisers with a premium platform for engagement.
Beyond the Headlines
The launch of the 'Watch' tab underscores The New York Times' commitment to building its own controlled environment for content distribution, rather than relying on third-party platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels. This strategy prioritizes owned distribution, immersive formats, and a premium user experience, potentially setting a precedent for other publishers seeking to enhance their multimedia offerings. By focusing on editorial judgment and discovery, The Times aims to provide a quality viewing experience that aligns with its journalistic standards, offering both consumers and advertisers a disciplined opportunity for growth.
