Yahoo has confirmed its entrance into TV production with the announcement of two original comedy series. Both will launch through its video portal Yahoo Screen next year and will be available both on the PC desktop and through apps for Apple TV and Roku.
Like similar forays from Netflix and Amazon, Yahoo has turned to existing talent to develop the shows. Other Space, set in the early 22nd Century where man has tired of boldly going, gas been developed by Paul Feig, who has previously worked on Freaks and Geeks, Bridesmaids and The Office.
Sin City Saints executive producer Mike Tollin was on One Tree Hill, Smallville, and Varsity Blues, while director Bryan Gordon is known from The Office.
“Since launching our comedy lineup seven months ago, we’ve seen 500 million streams on Yahoo Screen in the US alone. We are continuing to build our library with universally loved comedy such as Saturday Night Live and Comedy Central,” said Yahoo chief marketing officer Kathy Savitt in a statement.
Yahoo has also announced a partnership with promoter LiveNation with plans to stream one concert per day for the next few years.
But the offering at the moment remains US centric and while it might attract the kind of cult following seen in the UK by Breaking Bad, a weather eye should be kept on local web offerings such as the BBC’s own premieres on the iPlayer.
