In an effort to encourage citizen journalism, the Sinclair Broadcast Group will be rolling out the mobile platform Burst for user-generated content in 50 of its markets throughout 2016.
"Burst is a unique opportunity for us to build upon viewer engagement in our local communities," said Scott Livingston, Sinclair’s VP of news said in a statement. "The platform has differentiated itself by being incredibly easy to use and early UGC results have been very encouraging."
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Stations launching Burst will call on viewers to submit video of breaking news, sports, cultural events and weather, the company said. Sinclair will have the rights to use submissions on-air and online.
Once that’s up and running, stations plan to also roll out the Burst On TV platform, which allows contributors to get mobile video onto broadcasters, OTT channels or digital platforms without interrupting existing workflows.
