NYTimes.com gets a revamped video player, bigger and optimized for multiple Web and mobile devices

The New York Times generally receives warm praise for its efforts in the digital space, as it has transformed a traditional print-based business into a modern, multi-platform publication. And it seems that video is likely to play a pivotal part in this transition too.

NYTimes.com has relaunched its online video player which is now larger, and features a new design and better navigation.

The New York Times says that the new player has been designed for “optimal viewing across platforms and devices”, including the Web, mobile phones and tablets. The New York Times’ online content features short-form news reports as well as more extensive features.

“As more and more readers rely on video as a source for news, we are confident this new experience will deliver the best of The Times’s video with its clean design, easy-to-use navigation and larger format,” says Denise Warren, senior vice president and chief advertising officer, The New York Times Media Group, and general manager, NYTimes.com.

“With this enhanced product, our viewers can thoroughly engage with our videos, explore our vast archives and perhaps discover content they were not expecting to find,” she continues. “It’s just another way for our audience to experience our journalism.”

Videos are organized within a collection of channel pages based on subject, while top-of-page navigation enables easier browsing through The Times’s video archives. There are eleven categories including News/TimesCast, Editor’s Choice, World, US, Business, Science, Opinion, Arts, Style, Sports and Latest News.

We’re seeing a bigger focus on video from other big-name publications too, with The Wall Street Journal putting a bigger focus on the moving image. Back in May, the WSJ saw 19.7m video streams, a three-fold increase since the start of the year.

This can, in part, be accounted for by the expansion of its WSJ Live service to cover more platforms, including the iPad, Apple TV, Roku and Samsung Smart TV, though new programming and a growing focus on producing live shows from London and Hong Kong can also help explain this increase. It later rolled out a brand new WSJ portal too, as it gears up to position itself as a broader media content provider, beyond print.

The New York Times parent group saw revenues of $2.3 billion in 2011, which includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, NYTimes.com, BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com, About.com and other related properties.