May 26 , 2009

TVO leveraging social media to build revenue
Partnerships allow for expanded reach

As part of the station’s mandate to educate and inform, TVO has been incorporating social media tools in innovative ways in order to engage their viewers and build revenue. After receiving funding to digitally upgrade their facilities, TVO is wasting no time playing catch-up with their digital and revenue building strategy.

Initiatives like the newly launched civics101 website designed to boost the political literacy of Canadians, and The Agenda with Steve Paikin: On the Road which combines internet-based social media, face-to-face interaction and live television are just a couple of examples of how TVO is using the new digital space.

“Using social media tools allows us to bring our content to viewers on new, broader scales,” says Jill Javet, Vice President of Corporate Relations at TVO.

Partnerships open doors for increased revenue

Another way TVO has been expanding its reach is by forming strategic partnerships with content providers like YouTube and Yahoo.

“There are many ways to punch above our weight and increase our exposure,” says Javet. “With things like a dedicated TVO channel on YouTube we’re able to build a sustainable revenue model by tapping into revenue apps that didn’t previously exist.”

In addition to the YouTube channel which launched in the spring of this year, TVO also has content for parents included in Yahoo’s Lifestyle section.

“The most downloaded videos on the Yahoo Lifestyle site are TVO videos,” says Javet. “As well as being a revenue source, it also meets our goal of exposing educational content to viewers on a broader scale.”

A newly announced partnership with iTunes will see TVO providing educational music videos for download and sharing in the revenue.

“The power of today’s and tomorrow’s media to engage is so much more than it was when we were just television and we’re prepared to leverage today’s media to develop a comprehensive social media strategy that will see TVO continue to grow.”