Weather Company Launches Second Mobile Show

The Weather Company said it is launching a second mobile video show, The Ari Effect.

The new show, hosted by meteorologist Ari Sarsalari, is available from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on The Weather Channel app.

Weather, acquired by IBM last year, in October launched The Lift, which was cohosted by Sarsalari.

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"After launching The Lift, The Weather Channel’s mobile morning show, in October 2015, we saw an 80% increase in video views during its time slot, which indicated our viewers have an appetite for this type of snackable video content,” said Neil Katz, senior VP of global content and editor-in-chief, The Weather Company. “75% of our video views are through The Weather Channel’s mobile apps and we are dedicated to serving that audience with video content that sparks their curiosity.”

The Ari Effect is broken down into five or six minute long segments designed to be easily digestible and sharable. Segments include:

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  • The Latest: Breaking weather news and up-to-date information on natural disasters like floods, landslides, wildfires, etc.
  • Ari Explains: From mile-wide, long tracked tornadoes to softball-sized hail storms... Ari will take a radar image and explain exactly why certain weather phenomena occur.
  • Metal Mondays: Nature gets real in this segment with interesting clips of animals in their natural habitats accompanied by a metal soundtrack.
  • Meanwhile in: Learn more about weather phenomena, inventions, dash cams and explosions from around the world.
  • Rad Science: From experiments and unique inventions to simply blowing stuff up, discover the latest in science.

"I’ve been obsessed with weather and science since I was a child, and I am thrilled to be able to share one of my biggest passions with The Weather Channel’s mobile users through The Ari Effect," said Sarsalari. “The weather impacts users’ decision making throughout the day, and when they check the mobile app in the afternoon, they’ll be able to get breaking news to keep them safe as well as learn something new about fascinating weather and science concepts. From sun halos to mammatus clouds, I’m excited to peel back the layers and uncover the science with our viewers.”

The Ari Effect is shot in The Weather Company’s mobile studio in Atlanta, which was built to produce content for digital platforms. The studio can produce breaking news video in less than 10 minutes, the company says.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.