The Doctor’s Channel, an online provider of streaming medical videos, has partnered with Reuters Health.

Through the partnership, the companies have launched Reuters Health: The Doctor’s Channel Daily Newscast, which offers doctors succinct video content covering Reuters’ top three health news stories each day.  The website can be viewed here.

According to David Best, president and founder of The Doctor’s Channel, Reuters Health contacted the company with an interest in complementing its health news and informational content with video. For the newscast, The Doctor’s Channel converts Reuters’ three news selections daily into one- or two- minute videos for doctors.

“The whole concept of The Doctor’s Channel is media snacking,” explained Best, citing news feeds, desk top alerts, podcasts, and other outlets competing for eyes and ears. Given the preciously few minutes doctors have during the day, short, concise educational videos made sense, he said. “We love YouTube, and we tend to click on videos that are shorter, and avoid the seven or eight minute videos,” said Best, who’s also an MD. Best adds that an early focus group with doctors viewing online content found a preference for “getting right to the point.”

The Doctor’s Channel and Reuters provide advertisers with video sponsorship opportunities, in real time and in syndicate, as well as banners on the homepage.  “Reuters is a pillar of information – even if you’re a mid-line pharmaceutical company, you can be associated with the Reuters newscast,” says Best, adding that a recent news story – not a paid advertisement – on Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Abilify garnered over 20,000 views.  

In addition to the newscast, The Doctor’s Channel will develop and post footage from medical conferences covered by journalists at Reuters.  The website also offers five to seven minute videos for a quarter of CME credit each.