Watching is the latest from the New York Times prolific product pipeline. A curated aggregation of headlines from around the web, Watching is similar in function to the FT's Antenna. But the Times is wasting no time with beta disclaimers or inconspicuous page real estate. Instead, they're going full-tilt on the promotion and execution of this product.
Overall: 6.67
Revenue Potential: 5
The revenue picture for Watching gets murky, as it does for Antenna and similar aggregators, when you consider that most headline clicks redirect away from the NYT website. The stories shared on Watching may one day be stripped out and seen in NYT formatted and sponsored article page frames. Or readers may one day get a NYT branded feed of headlines from around the web. But in the current incarnation, they aren't. And that leaves the revenue potential unclear.
Value to Brand: 8
The NYT is experimenting, gathering data and making the home page an interesting place to visit again. Despite doing this as a curation service, Watching is a strong play for the brand.
User Experience: 9
The UX of Watching is clean and feels thoroughly organic to the home page. The links are right there in the home page module. The only issue is the aforementioned redirection of headline clicks away from the NYT website. But from a pure design standpoint, Watching shines like few others.