In recent years, the success of branded content has broadened horizons for advertisers, as well as proving to be an increasingly solvent revenue stream for several media companies. Earlier this year, the Financial Times (FT) announced, for the first time in its 129-year history, that digital advertising and service revenue had surpassed print. Yet the recent news of its partnership with global financial services company, UBS, aims to sharpen the frontlines of financial intelligence, only now it’s using video as a key platform to bolster audience engagement.

The new channel, known as Transact, launches across the bulk of FT’s platforms, and includes a new hub on FT.com, as well as a Youtube channel and Facebook page. Just over a year ago, FT purchased a majority stake in London-based branded content specialists, Alpha Grid, contributing to its own content marketing studio, FT Squared, which launched in 2015.

Alpha Grid’s contribution to the new partnership with UBS will create a mixture of editorial and branded content that is aimed at an audience of corporate decision makers, wealth managers and institutional investors. Telling the stories behind transactional transformations and the future of capital, the partnership will incorporate a mixture of FT journalists and paid-for expert commentary from UBS experts.

Jon Slade, chief commercial officer at FT, says, “We are in an exciting new era of storytelling, and FT Transact brings the extensive knowledge and experience of our journalists to life with high-quality video production. We are pleased to have UBS as a launch partner for FT Transact as we help our audiences navigate complex subject matter through new and engaging formats.”

FT Transact illustrates the widespread plurality of content marketing and branded content, with the New York Times paying a combined $31m in 2016 for social media marketing and technology firms, HelloSociety and Fake Love. Initial posts from Transact include case studies regarding corporate debt in China and the economic impact of tariffs, with more content to follow.