You know that media company in Taiwan that produces the animated versions of current news? The one that made the version of the Tiger/Ellin fight and Steven Slater’s slide ride off that Jet Blue plane? It turns out it’s backed by a billionaire, has 200 employees and can turn around a clip in just 2-3 hours.
Next Media is the company that makes the reenactments, and it is getting more than four million views a day on its online channel in Hong Kong. TIME reports that stations in Hong Kong and Taiwan are incorporating the animations into their newscasts.
So will this phenomenon hit U.S. TV? I can imagine it starting with tabloid TV, but can’t rule out some station using a variation of animated news. After all, we use some animations already (think of an animation showing a plane going down a runway, taking off and crashing). This is another step entirely. While it’s clear the stuff is animated, will that be enough to keep news from crossing the line into fiction? Judging from the popularity, it’s clear the audience likes this stuff. But is it local news-worthy?
Next Media’s animation of its version of Steven Slater’s slide into fame.
