A-B Shuts Down Much-Hyped Bud.TV After Disappointing Two Years

A-B Spent About $15M To Launch Bud.TV In '07, But Site Traffic Has Dropped Off Noticeably

Bud.TV, Anheuser-Busch's "much-hyped but ill-fated entertainment" Web site, was shut down last night, according to Jeremiah McWilliams of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. The site, which launched in February '07 and cost about $15M to start, was an "experiment in non-branded entertainment." A-B InBev Tuesday made the decision to shutter the site "after traffic dropped off noticeably," though the move "had been in the works for months." A-B InBev VP/Marketing Keith Levy: "It was one of those things we've been thinking about for a while. Now is the right time." McWilliams noted the site's "short shows -- such as those showing [Fox Sports'] Joe Buck interviewing people in the back of a taxi" -- were not tied to A-B brands. However, the Web site "didn't work out as planned," because "access to the site required registration with a lot of personal information." Going forward, A-B InBev "plans to build deeper relationships with successful websites such as Facebook, rather than striking out on its own and trying to keep web surfers on its own sites." Levy: "We found that there were more nimble ways of interacting with consumers" (STLTODAY.com, 2/18).