Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

CNN Shutters Casey Neistat's Video Company Beme, Which It Bought 14 Months Ago For $25 Million (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the short-and-sweet dept.

In late November 2016, CNN purchased YouTube star Casey Neistat's video-sharing app Beme for $25 million. The news network purchased the app in a bid to harness Neistat's (at the time) 6 million subscribers, with the hopes of turning the company into an independently operated daily online news show and a core part of CNN's offerings that would appeal to a younger demographic. Today, CNN has shut down Beme because Neistat was unable to figure out a viable strategy due to creative differences and sluggish process. He will be departing from CNN. The Verge reports: "I couldn't find answers. I would sort of disappear, and I would hide, and I would make YouTube videos for my channel because at least I would be able to yield something," Neistat told Buzzfeed News. "I don't think I'm giving CNN what I want to give them, and I don't think they're getting value from me." When CNN bought Beme, it said Neistat's company would focus on "timely and topical video and empowering content creators to use technology to find their voice." Beme currently employs 22 people, and CNN said it would re-employ most of the team, though some would lose their jobs. CNN plans to continue developing tech products developed by Beme, including an unreleased live-news app called Wire.

4 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Lol by Train0987 · · Score: 4, Funny

    They gave him $25 million for nothing and he's -their- bitch?

  2. Surprising? Not really... by The+Cynical+Critic · · Score: 3, Informative

    I honestly can't say I'm surprised this is how it ended. In terms of content and audience CNN and Casey are so far apart I have a hard time understanding how anyone could think a synergy could be found. It probably was just some out of touch executive desperate to jumpstart an attempt at regaining the sub 30 market that broadcast news media has more or less completely lost.

    Then again when you are CNN and part of a big corporation like Turner Broadcasting it's not exactly the end of the world if you end up throwing 25 million USD down the drain.

    --
    "Why should I want to make anything up? Life's bad enough as it is without wanting to invent any more of it."
    1. Re:Surprising? Not really... by KiloByte · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Until recently, I used CNN for world news -- they were biased but reliable. Then, somewhen during the US election campaign, they went completely bonkers. I don't know how to call them without being unfair to ordinary lying sacks of shit.

      This started with them not giving a single mention to Hillary's wrongdoings that were all over other news sites. Since then, they can't post a single article without propaganda stuffed with obvious lies -- especially if there's a word like "gun" or "nuclear" anywhere within six clicks of the piece. Fake News at its finest, indeed.

      While it's usually good to hear both sides, CNN has gone to Daily Stormer's level; going there is a waste of time.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    2. Re:Surprising? Not really... by Boronx · · Score: 3

      CNN is garbage and has been for years, along with every other US news channel. CNN international was good as of a year or two ago, because it competes with real news organizations like the BBC. I don't know if it still is good, and I don't know why the US can't have decent domestic news. It's almost as if intelligent, hard-nosed reporters are blacklisted from TV.

      --
      Play Command HQ online