Huffington Post to launch streaming network

WASHINGTON — The Huffington Post on Thursday marked the first anniversary of its acquisition by AOL with an announcement that it plans to launch an online video streaming network.

The HuffPost Streaming Network will launch this summer with 12 hours a day of original programming, to be increased to 16 hours a day by the end of 2013, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington said in a blog post.

Huffington said the network will "live on every platform -- computer, smartphone, tablet, Over-the-Top TV -- with the goal of creating the most social video experience anywhere."

She said the network "will be built around segments spotlighting the biggest, hottest, most engaging stories HuffPost is covering at any given moment."

The Huffington Post was launched by Huffington, a Greek-American author and columnist, in May 2006 and sold to AOL last February for $315 million.

Huffington said that over the past year, the number of unique monthly visitors to the Post has increased by 47 percent to 36.2 million.

The Huffington Post also launched Canadian, British and French editions, she said, and has plans to launch Spanish and Italian versions.