Maxim goes cross-platform with Xbox App and Brightcove Video Cloud

Since the launch of the Xbox App, Maxim has seen a significant increase in the number of views, usage and consumption time of video content.

Maxim, the lifestyle magazine for men between 18 and 34 years old, has taken an important step to become a multimedia and multiplatform publication. The North American company Alpha Media Group is in charge of developing Maxim's online presence (Maxim Online) and disseminating its audiovisual content.

Maxim's audiovisual strategy was initially launched as a complement to its print and online content. The videos were not independent material, but rather something to support and complement the articles and reviews already existing in the magazine.

As the Alfa Media Group team began to revamp Maxim's web experience and expand its online offering, team members looked for ways to create a cross-platform content strategy to reach new audiences. Once the online channel “Maxim TV” was operational, the team began to look for opportunities in the world of apps to expand its reach and bring audiovisual content to new viewers.

The online video platform Brightcove Video Cloud has helped Maxim become an audiovisual brand with multi-platform distribution.

A guaranteed player provides a consistent playback experience across devices and bandwidths, resulting in increased video views, audience usage, and time spent watching content.

As the Alfa Media Group team began its expansion process to go beyond Maxim TV Online, the first task was to migrate audiovisual content to a reliable platform capable of providing the control and distribution that the new video content strategy required. Before working at Alpha Media Group, several team members had already used the Brightcove Video Cloud online video platform and were familiar with its capabilities.

An audiovisual brand

The revised video strategy revolved around two main business objectives: increasing viewership and positioning Maxim as an audiovisual brand. Executing this strategy means making a multi-platform distribution for all the devices that the potential audience was already using online. Video game platforms are home to a large part of Maxim's young followers, making them the perfect distribution target for the magazine's audiovisual content.

The team began investigating app development options to bring audiovisual content to the Xbox 360, and Maxim launched its Xbox app in December 2012. The app contains more than 20 original Maxim series and thousands of girls, motors and comedy videos. The Maxim Xbox 360 app also includes custom social links to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Most of the audiovisual content in the Xbox app is short, under 10 minutes. The editorial team can easily tag content using Video Cloud APIs and automatically publish it to any platform, saving time and resources for the small three-person in-house production team and their freelance AV production partners.

“We and the models have a huge social impact, so leveraging that is part of our video strategy to grow Maxim's audience,” said Ken Shadford, director of video strategy at Alpha Media Group. "With social platforms, knowing that video content will be delivered with a consistent, high-quality viewing experience is crucial to having a strong social presence. Video Cloud is very reliable, the videos and players are fantastic - it's like sailing on a calm sea," adds Shadford.

Since the launch of the Xbox App, Maxim has seen a significant increase in the number of views, usage and consumption time of video content.

Maxim also looked for ways to increase and diversify the brand's online advertising portfolio. The success of its Xbox 360 app gave advertisers monetization opportunities and additional evidence of the habits of its audience of young male techies. Maxim launched pre-play advertising for its video content, and has seen a significant return on this monetization opportunity. The team is also experimenting with new ad-based technology supported by Video Cloud and its Xbox App.

In the future, Maxim plans to expand the reach of its platform to Play Station, set-top boxes, connected televisions and mobile devices.