News Corp quietly launches viral video website Internet Action Force as challenger to Buzzfeed
News Corp has used to the Digital Newfronts in New York to launch a “buzzworthy” viral video challenger to sites like Buzzfeed.
Internet Action Force was one of a half dozen stands at a low key News Corp Newfront event on Friday, which saw a six minute video presentation from CEO Robert Thompson with US media buyers then encouraged to visit a number of stands for brands like the New York Post, Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones.
“Video and digital are now integral to achieving that mission, whether it is across the globe or around the corner our original video tells stories that matter,” Thomson said in his video presentation.
News Corp used the event to launch a number of smaller digital project such as the Dow Jones’ new luxury real estate portal Mansion Global and Internet Action Force, which was described as “a video website with video featuring original topical shorts about pop culture, nerd news, and whatever’s trending on social media.”
Who better to add to the “strange”, “garish” and “rubbish” than Newscorp. It’s a perfect fit if you ask me.
Wow. Internet Action Force?!? This could be as grand as their MySpace adventure.
Congratulations…
Now they just need to invent a time machine, travel back to BY (Before Youtube) and they’ll be the leaders in their field with a hot first-to-market.
Why does it sound like a show from Cheese TV?
haha….this is a joke right?
Couldn’t look away from the car crash….
I note one of the front page videos on iaf.tv is a pathetic swipe at Netflix. So, can we assume this will just be another channel for Murdoch to editorially skew to take potshots at NewsCorp competitors?
I don’t really see how this is a Buzzfeed clone at all (other than it aiming to appeal to ‘young people’). It’s more like a really bad attempt at Funny Or Die?
I wonder why Mumbrella didn’t you run an iteration of this headline/story when NineMSN launched their much more blatant Buzzfeed rip-off, Pickle? Probably because they were advertising with you…
“It’s really about making people laugh”
Mission accomplished.
I’m…..wow.
Actually it would be interested to know how much traffic is genuine and not industry folk clicking pointing and laughing.
Oh well.
@jay
“It’s really about making people laugh”
Mission accomplished.
Yep.
Reckon they’ve bought some fake fans?
15k and pretty much zero engagement. Even with $hity reach…. https://www.facebook.com/internetactionforce
“New York Post publisher Jesse Angelo told Quartz Magazine: “It has some similarities in that it’s targeted at that [younger] generation, but it’s not just native like BuzzFeed is.”
aka News Corpse’s latest lameass attempt to attract the Yoof market. Excrutiatingly, embarrassingly bad. And is this the same Jesse Angelo who masterminded News Corpse’s last failed attempt at revolutionising digital news delivery — The Daily?. Folded after a year and $30m+ of Rupe’s hard-earned money.
good thing he’s selling his $90M New York pad….
IAF is an incredibly bad. What a joke and this stupidity does not appeal to anybody