As a well-known and respected media organization in Oslo, Norway, Amedia recognized it needed to improve its video editing capabilities to support its various news outlets. With a long history dating back to 1832, Amedia operates 109 brands across Norway, focusing mainly on local news with some national titles. With over 1,110 editorial staff, Amedia supports around 30 partners using its platform, providing services from accounting and HR to publishing platforms and editorial tools.
Meeting the needs of every newsroom
The main goal for Amedia was to find a video editing solution that could cater to the different needs of its newsrooms, which range in size from 50 journalists to just two. The solution needed to be easy to use, not require special hardware, and allow seamless content sharing among journalists. "We needed a tool that would be straightforward and suit everyone, regardless of their technical expertise or hardware," said Tord Selmer-Nedrelid, Head of Video & Audio Development at Amedia.
WeVideo roll-out
Having followed WeVideo’s growth for over 10 years, Amedia chose them as its standard, intuitive video editing platform. WeVideo’s ease of use and collaboration features made it a perfect choice for the company's diverse newsrooms. Common use cases that journalists enjoy in WeVideo include:
- Enhancing videos by adding graphics: For example, adding watermarks and edits to lower thirds of the screen indicating who is speaking, where an event took place or a newsroom name.
- Easily share content to work collaboratively: For example, enabling the morning journalist to hand off footage to the evening journalist to continue working on the same story.
- Integrating user-generated content: For example, editing user footage (eg. blurring faces) to then include into their reports.
WeVideo also suited their centralized decision-making approach, unique amongst media outlets. By standardizing platform workflows, integration, and training needs, newsrooms now enjoy a consistent level of operational efficiency with WeVideo at the center of that change.
The impact of WeVideo
Since its introduction in 2021, WeVideo has dramatically enhanced video production and publishing capabilities, with video content volume four times the size it was in year one of operations. The platform empowers journalists with minimal video editing experience to create engaging content efficiently. Its collaborative features allows journalists to work together, easily sharing content and continuing each other’s work, even when offline.
WeVideo also integrates flawlessly with Amedia’s video player, Flowplayer, facilitating one-click publishing from any device to a shared workspace for immediate video distribution across news desks.
Tord noted, “The biggest benefit we’ve seen implementing WeVideo is now hundreds of reporters are editing video that previously were unable to.” This is particularly important given the overall trend of younger audiences preferring video content, making the site stickier with a higher likelihood to subscribe. “In fact, last week we broke our own record for the number of subscribers watching video – which continues our trend of growing video consumption this year.”
A future of predictable growth
Amedia continues to fine-tune its use of WeVideo, focusing on enhancing mobile & audio editing capabilities and integrating AI tools to further simplify the workflow. With a staggering 4,000 videos created per quarter on average, a milestone they easily reached within one year of onboarding, their goal is to continue to make video production even more accessible to all journalists, regardless of their technical background or budget. "WeVideo’s business model is very predictable in terms of cost." Tord noted. “By expanding our video production capabilities even further, we hope to grow our 50% share of digital news subscriptions of Norwegian households.”
Conclusion
With WeVideo firmly in place, Amedia has not only improved video production processes but also increased the amount of video content across its newsrooms. By prioritizing ease of use, collaboration, and affordability, Amedia has set a strong foundation for continued success in the rapidly evolving digital media landscape. Adopting a centrally managed platform provides a common tool for all journalists and delivers a uniform methodology for accelerating rollout and ROI. The organization’s strategic adoption of WeVideo has positioned it to better engage its audience and maintain its leadership in the highly competitive media industry.