Burst and Gray Media Group Enter into Extended Commercial Agreement
BURST AND GRAY MEDIA GROUP ENTER INTO EXTENDED COMMERCIAL AGREEMENT BURST TO POWER GRAY’S UGC EFFORTS ACROSS ALL OF ITS LOCAL MARKETS
BOSTON, December 10, 2020 – Burst, the leading technology platform dedicated to helping media companies acquire, manage and distribute user-generated content (UGC), today announced that it has agreed to a two-year contract extension with Gray Media Group (“Gray”). By leveraging Burst across its 98 local markets, Gray has realized significant newsroom workflow efficiencies, created an evergreen library of hundreds of thousands of unique, right-cleared UGC photos and videos and generated new advertising revenue across its linear, digital and mobile platforms.
“When we first engaged Burst 18 months ago to formalize our UGC efforts, to be honest we were unsure it would ultimately be a meaningful business for us. On the contrary, Burst has helped us take our news coverage and user engagement to new levels,” said Mike Braun, Gray’s SVP Digital Media. “The ability for our viewers to quickly and easily provide content gives them the opportunity to participate and engage with our local stations more than ever before. Our digital and linear content teams no longer have to chase down viewers to obtain rights and approvals and we are less dependent on social media for content and engagement. As we expand our monetization of the platform, Burst is already having a meaningful P&L impact on our business. We are excited to expand our partnership with Burst another two years.”
Burst has developed a proprietary technology and workflow that enables the local Gray television stations to acquire, curate and distribute user-generated and reporter-generated content with speed and precision. Gray then uses Burst’s dashboard to curate and publish content across all screens. This creates valuable, brand-safe advertising inventory across Gray’s digital and linear platforms. Burst’s analytics platform provides rich data on submissions, views and engagement in real-time.
“We are amazed at how quickly and seamlessly Mike and his team were able to integrate the Burst platform into their digital and mobile workflows. As Gray takes full advantage of the Burst platform, its network of local stations are generating a rich new source of rights-controlled content that not only helps boost viewer engagement but is proving to be valuable inventory for Gray’s local advertising clients.” said Paul Levy, Founder and COO, Burst.
About Burst
Founded in 2011, Burst is a leading mobile video technology company that is transforming how broadcasters, publishers and media companies manage and monetize user-generated and controlled video content. Burst’s proprietary technology solves the challenges of creating, managing, publishing and monetizing mobile video across all screens including broadcast, OTT, digital and social platforms.