Like a TV network, Yahoo launches fall programming 4 October 2011, By JAKE COYLE , AP Entertainment Writer

(AP) -- With TV network style, Yahoo is launching instead of 30- or 60-minute programs. a fall slate of shows in a bid to strengthen its original programming. On Monday, Yahoo announced a partnership with ABC News, which will further Yahoo's video news On Tuesday, Yahoo Inc. announced that it will coverage. Yahoo is also considered a possible begin premiering seven new Web series this week, suitor for , the online video service that Yahoo all targeting female audiences. That adds to the syndicates. approximately two dozen original series on Yahoo, which often pull in much higher viewership than Original and syndicated programming will be other, higher profile video hubs. gathered in a new video site, Yahoo! Screen.

Yahoo sites generated 45.5 million unique viewers Yahoo's push into original programming is taking in August, according to comScore Inc., which was several pages from the broadcast book, like sixth best and above both Hulu and AOL. In the marketing shows' start times, a Web rarity, and same month, Yahoo Studios had all 10 of the top offering up finished programs to advertisers rather 10 most-watched online video series, according to than have a series sponsored by one brand. comScore. "We're both a TV network and a studio," says "I absolutely liken us to the fifth network or really McPherson. "We're creating our own original the first digital network," says Erin McPherson, vice content - we do have an in- Yahoo Studios president and head of original programming at team - and then we partner with folks like Ben Yahoo. Silverman's Electus and Morgan Spurlock's company and others." The new shows generally take an unscripted, lifestyle programming strategy. Judy Greer Yahoo's success in original programming is partly ("") hosts "Reluctantly due to the traffic it can generate from its homepage. Healthy," a series about cooking and exercising for For all its problems, Yahoo still drew 177.5 million those with little time. Niecy Nash ("Reno 911") unique visitors in August, according to comScore, hosts a relationship show, "Let's Talk About Love." second only to Google. "Ultimate Proposal," with Cameron Mathison ("All My Children"), will use a team of experts to help That Yahoo is finding large audiences for digital men deliver a memorable marriage proposal. video typically has been overshadowed by the company's larger difficulties. It has struggled to An eighth show, not specifically targeting women, grow advertising dollars and last month fired CEO is also set to launch in November: "The Failure Carol Bartz. (Financial officer Tim Morse was Club," a show about people trying to overcome a named interim CEO.) Year-to-date, its shares are fear, produced and hosted by documentary down about 16 percent. filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. McPherson acknowledges that ad dollars "have not Yahoo is also planning further additions, with fully caught up" to digital video, but she believes series focusing on other demographics and online video is finally at "an inflection point" where genres. With its own production technology and demand are peaking. Yahoo's house, it's easy to see Yahoo as a budding video premiere series, the entertainment wrap-up show, factory - only making 3-minute to 5-minute videos "Omg! Now," drew 8.3 million unique visitors last

1 / 2

month.

"We're not just video, we're video plus," says McPherson. "We're video plus text and photos and communications products and mail and messenger. That contextualized experience is something we can own."

For Greer, the process has been educational.

"Would I have tried to pitch a Food Network show for myself? No, but this is sort of like a toe-dipping," says Greer. "The Internet is fun and weird and uncharted."

Just as Yahoo is learning the business of a smaller- scale TV studio, Greer is getting accustomed to hosting a Web series.

"It's nothing I ever thought that I would do, but everything right now is so weird," Greer says. "Are we even going to have television or are we just going to have computers that we take everywhere? I don't understand technology totally, but I also don't want to be left in the dust."

More information: http://screen.yahoo.com/

©2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. APA citation: Like a TV network, Yahoo launches fall programming (2011, October 4) retrieved 26 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2011-10-tv-network-yahoo-fall.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

2 / 2

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)