AOL's Huffington Post to enter streaming video territory

The Huffington Post, which has blossomed into one of the biggest online news networks in the world, is planning to enter a space it hasn't really delved into before – live streaming video. The site will essentially become a competitor not only to online news outlets but to the 24/7 cable news networks as well. At least, that is the goal. The site plans to offer 12 hours of original programming every day.

This bold and ambitious new plan is planned to come to fruition some time this summer. Then, by the end of 2013, the number of hours of content will grow to 16 hours per day, literally pitting it against CNN, Fox News, and the other 24-hour news channels which only offer about 15-17 hours of news and then several hours of re-aired programming during the overnight hours. This announcement came from a blog post written by Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, who actually has very little to do with the site's day-to-day operations anymore.

People won't just be watching it from their computers, either. It will "live on every platform — computer, smartphone, tablet, Over-the-Top TV — with the goal of creating the most social video experience anywhere," Huffington wrote. It's a good thing she wrote it because we probably wouldn't have been able to understand anything with her thick Greek accept. The Huffington Post now belongs to AOL, which purchased the domain last year for $315 million.

[via Reuters]