DW’s digital strategy is focused on creating solutions for digital distribution that drive online content and diversify platforms. Flexibility to changes like those at Facebook is the key to long-term success.

Facebook recently announced changes to its news feed that could prioritize posts from family and friends over publisher’s content and news articles. Facebook Watch is another change being rolled out that will shift the focus on video content that is shorter than what is on television but longer than what is now seen in the news feed.

An important area of focus right now for DW’s digital content is producing short online videos that can be easily posted and shared. These are specially produced for social media, rather than being repackaged TV content. But with Facebook Watch soon to change the landscape, DW will be focusing on developing video content that fits this new model.

In a recent blog post, DW’s head of digital programming, Ellen Schuster said that the new model presents a chance for content that has already an established community online. “They will get a new playing field that includes the possibility with better data analysis to offer what the community wants more directly.”

A similar strategy is how DW uses YouTube, which is the second largest search engine after Google. DW has created multiple channels that streamline long-form content and make it easier for users to choose what categories and issues they want, rather then having to choose from a mass of content. One of the most successful channels is DW Documentary, which features a new documentary every week exploring everything from travel and tech to politics and society.

While media companies can’t control changes in the third party platforms they depend on, change presents a challenge and a chance for growth. Online content is where the audience of the future is going to be and DW will be where they are clicking and watching.

Storytelling with video delivers an intimate look at the people and places that make up the bigger picture of important issues. DW’s new YouTube channel, DW Documentary, brings together some of DW’s best documentaries on an online, on-demand format.

Riveting documentaries like Maidan Calling, which tells the story of young people in Kiev who are developing a creative scene fueled by rave music and fashion, present an alternative perspective on major international news issues. Another highlight is #MyEscape, a collection of riveting first person accounts recorded by refugees on smartphones from Afghanistan to Libya. As they made their way to Germany, they took short videos and all the clips put together provide a highly personal and unique portrayal.

Online video is quickly becoming the preferred source for documentaries, and will soon surpass linear television. Users can choose their favorite genres, discover something new on feeds and share their opinions.

With a wide-selection of documentaries covering politics, economics, business, social issues, science and culture along with short documentaries and segments, DW Documentary covers the entire spectrum of important global issues.

Guest commentary

Michael Trobridge, Editor at Kick off!

For football purists, German football has become the benchmark. Its top-flight clubs and the national team have crafted an attacking game that is at times breathtakingly attractive. There’s a real hope here this will finally be the summer that Germany takes home the World Cup after a 24-year drought. After the disappointment of 2010 in South Africa, the Germans are sure to be fierce competitors in Brazil.  And that can only be good news for the Bundesliga.

Fired on by Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund and Bayern Munich under Jupp Heynckes and now Pep Guardiola, the league has been steadily building up a head of steam. Last season saw both sides contest the Champions League final. Bundesliga attendance is setting new records and clubs are in rosy health thanks to strict financial rules. Not only is the Bundesliga currently Europe’s top grossing league in both fans and profits, it has also become the testing ground for international stars drawn by the mixture of traditional football values and high performance. Increasingly, people are talking about Bayern and Dortmund instead of Barcelona and Manchester United. Success at Brazil 2014 would boost the Bundesliga’s reputation even further.

Of course, we always knew here at Kick off! that we were covering the most interesting football league in the world! But it’s taken the Bundesliga’s recent sporting and financial renaissance to really catch the eyes of the soccer world.

We want to serve that international interest with our new Kick off! Youtube channel, produced in English and starting now as the Bundesliga restarts after its winter break. We’re sharing our best interviews and exclusive insider peeks as well as some real pearls from almost a decade of DW’s Bundesliga TV show. Want to know what it’s like to hang out behind the scenes with Bayern at their training camp in Qatar or explore Rio as people there gear up the World Cup? Or play football on motorbikes? It’s all on the Kick off! YouTube channel!

The Bundesliga’s come a long way since it was founded 50 years ago with 16 teams and poorly paid players. In fact, you can see exactly how far with our award-winning series 50 years of the Bundesliga. It’s jam-packed with fabulous archive footage and is guaranteed to bring you right up to date with the world-class league the Bundesliga is today. Which, I believe, is where we came in.

The Internet is full of funny, pithy and sometimes even breath-taking clips, but they’re not always easy to find. That’s why Euromaxx searches high and low to find the best for Clipmania. And to celebrate the celebrated its 100th episode, our editors designed a contest called  Clipmania 100. Viewers and users voted for the 100 best user-generated videos from the almost 300 that have been featured on the program over the past two years. The contest generated over 5,000 letters to the editors and the videos were viewed over 230,000 times on DW’s YouTube channel. The winning entry  titled Black Hole came from English authors Olly Williams and Phillip Sansom. The two-minute video is about an overworked employee who somehow prints out a black hole during the nightshift.

Clipmania 100 ran from January 1 to April 26 and you can find the playlist of all the videos on YouTube.

Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle joins the discussion on DW-TV ARABIA.

DW relaunched its channel for the Arab world yesterday, with a new focus on dialogue and programming in Arabic. Audiences from Morocco to Oman can tune in to DW-TV ARABIA for a six-hour block in Arabic – always in primetime. English-language programming will complete the channel’s 24-hour line-up. Up until now, the schedule alternated hourly between Arabic, or German with Arabic subtitles, and English.

This is just a continuation of DW’s strategy of introducing new, regionalized productions to help improve the connection to its viewers around the world.

Along with new Arabic versions of DW’s shows GLOBAL 3000 and Arts.21, the new DW-TV ARABIA also features four new talk shows, each focusing on different facets of society.

• Shababtalk is a co-production with Al Hayah TV, the leading station in Egypt. Young representatives from the democratic movement in Egypt join in on discussions with their German counterparts from youth organizations, political parties and other associations.
• On the Pulse brings Arab and German experts together to discuss issues related to democratization, politics, economics, the role of the government, justice and religion.
• Talking to the Press is a roundtable discussion with German and European editors-in-chief and their Arab colleagues.
• Guest of the Week offers the chance for public figures to come into the studio to discuss current developments in the Arab World.

DW also launched its new YouTube channel for Arabic yesterday, making its Arabic content available online to viewers around the world.