DATELINE: LONDON: The Associated Press today is taking the wraps off of a new video archive platform designed to expand its stock footage business. The platform will give new and existing customers improved access to AP’s vast historical archive, the organization said.
“Customers will have access to AP’s newly digitized archive content, which contains more than 1.3 million global news and entertainment stories dating back to the beginning of the 20th century,” the AP’s announcement said. “This will be available alongside British Movietone’s iconic footage, which includes a vast quantity of British and international news stories covering the period 1895 to 1986.”
AP started HD digitizing its back catalog, comprising 32,000 hours of footage and film stock, in February, and expects to finish by mid-2013. The video archive platform allows online downloads and licensing of footage, as well as the ability to search, organize and share research—under an a la carte or subscription pricing structure.
Alwyn Lindsey, director of AP video archive, said revenues from the footage archive grew 27 percent last year, and that the overall market for online video news across Europe and Asia is predicted to grow annually by 13 percent and 16 percent, respectively. The AP archive includes footage from both World Wars the Titanic and Hindenburg disasters, the Diamond Jubilees of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II, John Glenn’s space flight, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as well as clips of Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe and others.
AP beta launched a video hub for online delivery of footage earlier this year.
