↑ Watch UGC from AP and Bambuser – 2013 Highlights

The Associated Press has bought of a minority stake in Bambuser, the user-generated content (UGC) live video service that allows users to broadcast, watch and share live video through mobile phones and computers. PhotoArchiveNews.com reported the start of the AP/Bambuser relationship in April 2012: AP explores citizen newsgathering video feed
They say: AP’s investment follows the successful development by Bambuser of both its technology and user base. Bambuser has a proven track record for enabling real-time creation, solicitation and distribution of user-generated content, especially for news-related content.

Under terms of the deal AP’s director of global video news, Sandy MacIntyre, will join Bambuser’s board as a non-executive director.
“User-generated video content of live and breaking news is the new frontier of news generation,” MacIntyre said. “Bambuser is the proven platform for eyewitnesses around the world to stream their video content and has been invaluable to the AP over the past year, allowing us to access footage of verifiable breaking news stories that would simply not have been possible before. Moreover, we have always been deeply impressed by the proven technology from the small but very talented team at Bambuser.”
MacIntyre added: “This investment by the AP is a natural extension of our existing relationship with Bambuser and will ensure that we retain our dominant capability in gathering and verifying UGC video news. The evidence that UGC is set to grow in importance and volume is plain to see. Nearly a fifth of the world’s population has a smartphone and that is a phenomenal eyewitness resource that Bambuser makes technologically possible. It means that anyone can be one button click away from generating live news that will change the way the world receives the “first word” of a story. With the AP and Bambuser working closely together, I firmly believe we can take UGC to new heights.”

Hans Eriksson, executive chairman at Bambuser, said: “Working so closely with the AP over the last year has proven the huge demand for user-generated video content. This equity investment is an important milestone in Bambuser’s journey as it not only brings our two organizations closer, but enables us to share our expertise to an even greater extent.”