User:Lionm/Beamups

Beamups is a global online marketplace for news. Professionally shot current affairs videos and photos can be bought and sold online.

The Beamups marketplace serves two markets: Producers of news content (content providers) and Buyers (editors and newsrooms) of this content. The aim of Beamups is to break down barriers in traditional news distrubution. By cutting out the mifddleman and creating a free market, sellers and buyers of news content deal directly with one another.

The aim is that more newsrooms will hear more voices from around the world through professional content providers in over 60 countries.

Content Providers include broadcasters, production companies, web publishers and freelance photographers and video journalists. They can upload their news items, price them and make them available for sale. They keep the copyrights (unless they choose otherwise). Profits can be boosted if the same item is then sold many times over around the world.

The content providers are often also the Buyers. The same broadcasters, production companies and web publishers can purchase news items per item. This gives buyers the flexibility to only pay for the items they use, helping them to stay in budget. Prices are also lower because the news is 'sourced' locally. This also limits carbon emissions.

Beamups was developed on the crest of video journalism and innovation. Part of the upload process includes tagging the item with keywords and also creating a short highlights package and a thumbnail. This highlights package is then viewed by buyers at low resolution.

Beamups was founded by two professional cameramen. The Beamups is CEO is Dean Stewart, formerly Senior VP News Corp.

Beamups has an office in the Middle East and launched its UK Beta in in June 2009 and was featured in The Guardian.