It what seems like a natural move for today’s increasingly digital media, Helsinki-based Scoopshot has launched video support to its news photo crowdsourcing service. The app allows journalists to send alerts to smartphone users, who can arrive at a scene more quickly and cheaply than sending a professional photographer.
Users take photos and upload them through the app, and if their picture is selected they receive money through whoever requested the photos. The service is also designed for users to quickly pull up the app if they witness something newsworthy, so they can then sell the photo or video rights online. €172 000 has been transferred to amateur photographers though the site, with the leader earning over €11 000. A scoopshot user recently bought a car with his earnings, which he said he will help him get around to take more pictures.
The company will start offering video to its media customers sometime this month. It’s value proposition to media houses is clear, especially as more news consumption moves online.
“We here at MTV3 are really looking forward to starting to use Scoopshot videos in our on-line and broadcasting channels. In addition to unique news photos, we can now also easily receive unique news videos from our audience” says Ulla Rannikko, Executive Producer, MTV3 Finland.
Scoopshot boasts 65,000 photographers in 159 countries, as well as 45 media partners. Perhaps its biggest partnership is with the Metro newspapers, which can be found in 100 major cities across the globe.
