Up to now, Yahoo’s plans to take on the likes of Netflix and Hulu with original programming have been based mainly around rumors and speculation, but on Monday the Web company for the first time offered up some solid details regarding its plans.
For starters, its first original programming is set to land in the form of two brand new comedy shows – Other Space from three-time Emmy nominee Paul Feig (‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘The Office’), and Sin City Saints from TV executive producer Mike Tollin (‘One Tree Hill’ and ‘Varsity Blues’) and two-time Emmy nominated director Bryan Gordon (‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and ‘The Office’).
The former is billed as a “a galactic adventure set in the early 22nd century, when the human race has mapped most of the known universe, failed to find alien life, and frankly gotten a little tired of the whole thing,” and will comprise eight 30-minute episodes.
Sin City Saints, meanwhile, is described as “an off-beat comedy set in the front office of a fictional pro basketball expansion team. The show will revolve around Jake Tullus, a Silicon Valley tycoon whose lifelong dream was to buy a pro basketball team but quickly finds he’s in over his head.” As with Other Space, this show will also consist of eight 30-minute episodes.
The new shows will launch on Yahoo Screen some time in 2015.
The company also laid out plans to stream “one live concert, every day, 365 days a year,” starting this summer. The content will be delivered via a new channel set up in partnership with concert ticketing company Live Nation, Yahoo said Monday.
CEO Marissa Mayer has hinted on several occasions since taking the reins in 2012 that a move into original programming is an essential part of the company’s expansion efforts to boost its audience and generate increased ad-related revenue. Speaking at a tech conference at the start of the year, she described the tech industry as being at “a critical moment embarking on the next-generation of video consumption.”
Yahoo’s news came on the same day that Microsoft also took the wraps off plans for brand new video content. Xbox Originals is set to bring a dozen original shows to users of the computer giant’s gaming platform, with an official launch slated for this June.
