How 30 Full-Time Staff Created the New Crypto TV Network Blocktv
Blocktv is a new televised news source for the cryptocurrency community. News.Bitcoin.com recently visited the company’s headquarters in Israel to see what it takes to air a TV channel dedicated to reporting on the digital assets industry.
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Blocktv’s main office is right across the road from the Israel Diamond Exchange building, at the very heart of the country’s business district. This central location offers easy access to the many crypto projects and service providers based in the area who can easily jump by to talk about the market. The large office gives the feeling of a modern TV channel and includes a professional studio, guest waiting and makeup rooms, as well as a central control room where the crew can monitor the filming and video feeds from all over the world.
The company now employs 30 full-time staff members across its various departments and an additional cadre of about a dozen freelancers reporting from around the globe. According to Editor-in-Chief Ron Friedman, staff are tasked with reporting about the crypto community to the crypto community, while also being critical of the space they are covering and maintaining strict independence and healthy skepticism.
The idea to create a television news channel dedicated to cryptocurrency was first put into action in June 2018. In December, the company focused on its core product, the live player, which was officially launched in January of this year. The shows are streamed live, both on Youtube and on the company’s own website. The harsh reality of ‘crypto winter’ might have affected the content of the news, but it didn’t the deter the channel’s launch.
“Shortly after Blocktv was formed it became clear that the state of the industry was no longer the same as when the idea was first envisioned. The story changed. Instead of reporting on successful ICOs and new crypto billionaires, we found ourselves reporting on businesses closing and price falls,” recounted Friedman. However, he also added that the channel is already gaining interest from media partners. “After just a few short (albeit intense and trying) weeks, our broadcast is already available to hundreds of thousands of viewers through a series of partnerships with more than 15 industry news sites across the world.”
News for the Digital Age
The journalists and other professional staff working at the channel mainly have experience from various established mainstream media channels in Israel as well as international news organizations that report from the country. Despite this, the focus of the team seems to be on keeping their work fun and informal with show titles such as “Suck My Blockchain” and “Blockchain on Booze,” the latter being a panel where the guests have to discuss topics while battling insobriety.
“Blocktv is utilizing the new media world we live in, reporting online in a space that fits the digital world and is formatted for both the subject matter and the attention span of viewers in 2019,” explained anchorwoman Yael Lavie. “Having worked in media and journalism for the past 25 years, from ABC News to Sky News, to print and documentaries, I have had the privilege of seeing both the business as well as the audience evolve. As a journalist I am a firm believer that the most important job is to relay a story in an accessible and interesting way. The age we live in does not require a subject matter to be formally introduced to an audience that is a fast pace consuming one. They need to be interested, [and] that we do – we get them interested.”
Is there enough demand for a TV news channel devoted to crypto assets like Blocktv? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Blocktv.
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