November 27, 2013

Long-form journalism startup completes acquisition of app maker

For years, the owners of struggling traditional journalism outlets have sought new and creative ways to make money in an era when both advertising and subscription revenues are falling. But some believe that it won't be the news organizations that revolutionize their business, but rather new app startups.

Take Byliner, for example. This startup partners with both fiction and nonfiction authors to deliver stories to subscribers. Instead of paying for a number of different newspapers and magazines, voracious readers can simply pay one flat subscription fee and read many of those stories through the Byliner app.

According to Byliner President Deanna Brown, "Byliner's mission is to connect people to the stories and story tellers they love."

Clearly, the business of monetizing long-form journalism is paying off. Byliner recently announced that it has acquired mobile developer Seesaw Decisions, according to an article on TechCrunch.

Seesaw is the maker of several apps. The first allows users to collect opinions from their friends. The second, known as Everlapse, can be used to create digital flipbooks and stop-motion videos. Byliner has already indicated that it is more interested in the latter app.

"We have designs on some of their tool kit and we love the talent," a Byliner spokesperson told TechCrunch.

It is unclear exactly what Byliner plans to do with this technology. It may be considering adding more social aspects to its service, or including more support for photo essays as well as long-form writing.

Users will find out soon enough. When they do, they can thank this technology acquisition for the additional features that they will enjoy.