It seems that the only buzz Anheuser-Busch’s online TV network Bud.tv is attracting is the negative kind. Ad Age reports that Bud.tv drew 152,000 unique visitors last month – a 40 percent drop from February’s 253,000 visitors, according to ComScore (NSDQ: SCOR) Media Metrix. Adding insult to injury, Ad Age points to traffic figures from another measurement service, Quantcast, which ranks Bud.tv the 49,303rd busiest on the web, sandwiched between an adult entertainment site and another one that self-identifies as a “comprehensive source for sheet rubber.”
A-B has said they expect to draw between 2 million and 3 million visitors per month by early next year. The online network, which features short-form comedic videos, is costing the brewer $30-$40 million. For the moment, the brewer is pinning its hopes on upcoming sports satire series Hardly News featuring sportscaster Joe Buck and on exclusive, directors-cut content from several movies. Aside from a lack of buzzworthy programming, the age-verification system appears to be causing Bud.tv two major headaches: In order to prove that they’re of legal drinking age, users must input detailed information in order to gain access—a turn off. Secondly, as we reported in February, several state attorneys general sent a letter A-B admonishing the company that its verification measures didn’t go far enough. No further action has been taken by either side since then, according to Ad Age.
Related:
—Has Bud.TV Gone Flat In Less Than 60 Days?