Commentary

Bud Lite

Anheuser-Busch has a new plan to rescue its faltering entertainment network Bud.TV. Call it Bud.TV Lite.

Program changes now underway for Bud.TV include shorter, punchier clips, community building and an effort to syndicate clips via partnerships with online content hubs. To help guide its makeover, Anheuser has hired New Media Strategies, an online intelligence monitoring company owned by Meredith Corp.

After launching four months ago with a head of frothy hype, Bud.TV quickly went flat. In March, the number of unique visitors to the site dropped 40 percent from February to 152,000, according to comScore. Even worse, traffic in April was too low to be measured. 

Anheuser grabbed media attention last year when it unveiled a $30 million plan to challenge Hollywood with a branded entertainment network. But as it languished after a splashy Super Bowl debut, Madison Avenue was left wondering where Bud.TV went wrong.

By working with New Media Strategies, Anheuser hopes to gain insight into the tastes and behaviors of digital content consumers. “We have to engage consumers better than we have,” says Jim Schumacker, who heads the marketing team for Bud.TV.

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