4ME bets people will watch advertorials on stand-alone site

AUSTRALIA-BASED digital advertorial service 4ME group, in partnership with Media5 Marketing Corp., recently launched an online lifestyle multi-channel network in the Philippines�� to “revolutionize the way [people] consume content,” in the words of Mike Constantino, TV4ME.ph managing director.

The network, featuring 10 channels, has “thousands of hours of snackable content.” Clips range from two to five minutes in length, though there are also videos that go from half an hour to a full hour. They’re perfect for when people are stuck in traffic or have time to spare, Mr. Constantino�� said during the Nov. 12 launch at the TV5 Media Center in Mandaluyong City.

“The short format works better,” said Damian Bray, the Brand New Media global development director who runs and operates 4ME.

Many of the channels and programs are done in partnership with brands such as Singapore-based Clozette, a “social shopping network” that combines selling beauty products with how-to videos and tutorials. A dedicated channel for ClozetteTV is available at TV4ME.ph, also focusing on beauty tutorials.

Other channels include Food For Life (an online food channel), Escape TV (for travel), Home Style (for home improvement), Healthy Me (for health), M Style (a lifestyle channel for men), LOL (comedy) for local fare, and Outdoor Channel HD, History Plus and Celebrity TV for international content.

“Pillared by lifestyle genres… 4ME is tailored to deliver brands and advertisers a targeted and engaged market, resulting in better return on investment in advertising spend,” the company’s Web site states.

Many of the programs are tailored for the Philippines; Mr. Constantino said that the videos (mostly infotainment) are based on search trends in a particular market.

The channels are expected to upload a video per week.

Mr. Constantino added that the company invested “heavily” on the “best video player in the world.” Thus, the videos will load without buffering and will provide “non-intrusive mobile content,” as there will be no pre-loaded ads on top of content that is already made up of advertorials.

Currently, the network is accessible through a mobile-first Web site, TV4ME.ph, and without an accompanying app. According to Mr. Bray, more people tend to use mobile Web sites than they do apps.

Mr. Constantino also urged users: “Pirate our content; we don’t care.” Sharing can be done with an embed code under each video that can be copied and pasted into social media posts.

MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. — a unit of PLDT’s Beneficial Trust Fund — fully owns broadcaster TV5 and satellite TV service provider Cignal, and, via wholly owned subsidiary Hastings Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in ����ý through the STAR Group, which it controls. — Zsarlene B. Chua