But the trailer’s release prompted key com- petitor GQ to rush to print with its own ver- sion of the Zanesville story, ‘The insane true story of the Zanesville Zoo escape’ by Chris Heath.
Although there were only a few hours’ lag time between the GQ and Esquire pieces hit- ting the Internet, the delay may have cost Esquire a chunk of readership – and cred- ibility. After all, no one wants to appear be- hind the times in the ever-changing world of online content.
YouTube is keenly aware of the viewer po- tential inherent in the magazine audience. Reaching out to several media companies, YouTube is investing $100 million to de- velop custom channels that will benefit
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both parties. On the surface, it’s an unlikely partnership; consider, though, the almost magazine-style/curation format of popular shows such as America’s Entertainment To- night and The Today Show.
“Video is going to become an increasingly important medium,” John Loughlin, the executive vice president and general man- ager of Hearst, says. “Our goal is not to be- come flat-footed in this space.” According to Loughlin, YouTube has provided a $10 million jumpstart package to encourage premium content.
Unlike Esquire’s forays into video, dedi- cated YouTube channels present little risk – timing is less of an issue, as is exclusivity. Not that exclusivity is unimportant (one