The AOL content factory continues to expand, as the company made a couple of big announcements today – the launch of Huffington Post Canada, and the relaunch of AOL TV.
The Canadian version of the hugely popular Huffington Post, will feature a mix of original reporting and aggregation, much like the American version. Arianna Huffington said, “When we announced our merger with AOL, I said that one of the things that most excited me about the deal was how it would allow us to reach our goals — including the launch of international editions of HuffPost — much, much faster.”
“Three months later, a key one of those goals is being realized with the launch of our first international version, HuffPost Canada. Canadians are no strangers to The Huffington Post: 1.5 million of them visited us in March,” she added, citing comScore data. “So starting our international expansion north of the border was a natural. I can’t wait to watch our talented HuffPost Canada edit team bring our real-time ‘digital water cooler’ to Canadians — and Americans looking to get some insight into our neighbours to the north.”
The relaunch of AOL TV comes with a strategic partnership with i.TV which provides mobile apps catering to TV-based engagement. “We are thrilled to welcome AOL TV to the i.TV platform,” said Brad Pelo, i.TV’s CEO. “Both companies bring unique and powerful capabilities to this partnership, which will revolutionize how millions of TV viewers discover, share and watch television.”
The relaunch puts AOL TV under a new AOLTV.com brand, which includes rich interactive listings, expanded video integrations, and new branded apps for the iPhone and iPad. Users will be able to use social check-ins, personalized channel lists, DVR scheduling, and a calendar.
