UPDATE: Bud.tv is dead. Anheuser-Busch pulled the plug on the site (February 18, 2009). The site was a bold attempt at content marketing and native advertising. However a mix of legal issues, age gating and production costs made the site too difficult to continue. Maybe a brand like Red Bull can try to accomplish what Anheuser-Busch started.
The disappointing Bud.tv may “fade away” later this year, admitted Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV in a conference call to analysts.
“Its current structure might fade away as we learn more about consumer connectivity and building a social network. But we are eager to evolve Bud.TV as part of a broader digital future for our brands to reach today’s consumer,” Busch said.
The site drew only 152,000 visitors in March. The low traffic has been blamed in part by age verification measures designed to keep underage drinkers from getting on the site.
