Yes, of course there are cat videos. AOL Canada on Tuesday launched the Canadian version of its multiplatform on-demand video service AOL On. The service is available across desktop computers, tablets, mobile, dedicated mobile apps and connected TV. Canada is the first international market for the service, which debuted in the United States last spring.
AOL On features more than 500,000 “premium” curated short-form videos – typically ranging from 45 seconds to two minutes in length – across 17 channels, including news, entertainment, style, health, autos, business and technology. AOL’s content partners include The Canadian Press, CNET, ET Canada and Mashable.
AOL will continue to offer video across properties such as The Huffington Post Canada, Autoblog Canada and AOL Music Canada.
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American Express has signed on as the official launch partner for the service and will be featured in pre-roll ads on the service throughout March and April. The 15-seconds ads are promoting the financial services company’s “Realize the potential” platform. (Media for the campaign was handled by Mindshare Canada.)
AOL is also promoting its offering in Cineplex theatres across the country beginning Friday.
The media company has partnered with Toronto-based content marketing agency The Tite Group to develop a series of videos called “On-Screen hosted by AOL On” that highlight the video service’s content. AOL plans to create four 60-second segments, each hosted by Canadian TV/web personality Amber MacArthur and showcasing AOL On’s style, auto and food content, as well as a segment showcasing the general content available on the service.
The Cineplex pre-show reaches between 4.5 million and 5.8 million people monthly. AOL has negotiated towards the end of the pre-show segment, when more people are in their seats waiting for the movie to begin.
“The goal is to touch as many people as possible,” said Laura Pearce, director of marketing and communications for AOL. “It’s really about providing a quality experience for movie-goers.”
AOL is also supporting the service’s launch with a digital campaign built around banner ads, pre-roll video and ads promoting the free AOL On app. The AOL On Video Network currently boasts 169 million video streams a month, reaching 7.8 million unique visitors.
