Internet giant Yahoo! is to launch two new comedy series exclusively online, along with a service to live stream concerts, on dedicated channels.
The two series will launch on the company’s dedicated service, Yahoo! Screen, next year and will deliver 30-minute episodes viewers can stream on-demand through its mobile app, desktop, or on Apple TV and Roku devices.
The company has decided to go with two established directors for its first new TV shows, including Paul Feig, one of the leading figures behind shows like Freaks and Geeks, Bridesmaids and The Office, and Mike Tollin, executive producer of shows such as One Tree Hill, Smallville, and Varsity Blues.
This programming will be joined by a Live Nation Channel, the results of a partnership between Yahoo! and event-ticketing player Live Nation. The channel is to begin broadcasting this summer and aims to produce the largest collection of US concert live streams on the web with one live concert, 365 days a year.
“We are in a time of rapid and dramatic change in how people read and view content online,” said Yahoo!’s chief marketing officer, Kathy Savitt.
“Our goal is to not only enable the future but also to help invent it. Yahoo! is focused on connecting artists, storytellers, great content producers and brands with the audiences they want – at scale, across devices, every single day.”
The decision to move into online content is a straightforward one in the face of already established providers, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go and Amazon.
