# Tout

> Tout began as a free app for 15-second video updates and became a publisher-focused video network. Its newsroom tools let reporters file quick clips; its later exchange matched syndicated video to written articles and shared advertising revenue with publishers.

- **Founded:** 2010
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Michael Downing (Founder and CEO)
- **Products:** Tout mobile app, WorldStream publisher workflow, Tout Programmatic Video Content Exchange, Annotator, Live streaming across publisher network
- **Notable:** Shaquille O’Neal announced his retirement with a Tout in June 2011., The Wall Street Journal’s WorldStream had received 2,815 clips in its first 229 days, according to a 2013 Nieman Lab report., Digital First Media reported 5,000 to 7,000 short videos per week across 75 newsrooms in October 2013.

## Products & services

- **Tout mobile app** — Free iPhone, iPad, Android and web tools for recording and sharing video status updates of 15 seconds or less.
- **WorldStream publisher workflow** — A publisher-specific video feed and reporting tool with editor review and analytics, developed with The Wall Street Journal.
- **Tout Programmatic Video Content Exchange** — A network that distributes media partners’ clips to publisher articles and shares video advertising revenue.
- **Annotator** — Patented video data annotation and contextual matching technology for pairing clips with relevant articles.
- **Live streaming across publisher network** — A capability for partners to stream news, sports and events across participating sites.

## Achievements

- Shaquille O’Neal announced his retirement with a Tout in June 2011.
- The Wall Street Journal’s WorldStream had received 2,815 clips in its first 229 days, according to a 2013 Nieman Lab report.
- Digital First Media reported 5,000 to 7,000 short videos per week across 75 newsrooms in October 2013.
- Tout reported more than 2,800 partner websites and 350 million monthly video views in October 2016.

## Latest updates

- **2014-08** — Launched the Programmatic Video Content Exchange.
- **2014-09** — Announced a distribution agreement with the Local Media Consortium.
- **2016-10** — Closed a $26 million Series C and reported more than 350 million monthly video views.
- **2019** — The original Tout service is reported as inactive and dissolved; a detailed public shutdown explanation was not established.

## Links

- Website: http://www.tout.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tout_1
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Tout
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/Tout

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tout
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-30