Yesterday Yahoo! held their Digital NewFront event to showcase new and original video content for upcoming series and presentations to their large and growing global audience. The event was attended by Hollywood favorites like Tom Hanks and industry leaders like Ben Sherwood and Bob Bowmen.
The news and entertainment network rolled out original material featuring everything from sports to fashion to relationship and featured a wide spectrum of unique voices, creative talent, special guests, and interesting hosts. The idea of the event was to showcase what sets Yahoo apart from other web distributors in the way of premium content, programming and curation, and exclusive experiences.
Take a look at some of the new projects to be featured on Yahoo:
* From the creators of “Rock of Ages,” Matthew Weaver and Chris D’Arienzo introduce working title, “Dancing With Myself,” a musical “jukebox” comedy, produced by Matthew Weaver and RelativityREAL, featuring classic 80’s pop songs;
* Introduction of the company’s third slate of original video programming targeted at men, with six shows, including a talk show in development with Jeff Goldblum, “Stunt Nation,” with host Sal Masekela, demolition program “KaBOOM,” and daily show “The MANual”;
* The premiere of Katie Couric’s new web show on May 1, “Katie’s Take.” Each week, Couric will explore topics and issues that matter most to her viewers – including health, nutrition, parenting, and wellness. Every episode will feature interviews with top experts in a variety of fields as well as Couric’s own personal, fun and unique perspective. Poland Spring Natural Spring Water is the exclusive launch sponsor of this series which will be featured on a dedicated page on Yahoo!.
Yahoo’s video destination, Yahoo! Screen, announced some addition to their already robust original content. Working with over 15 original video production partners on over 40 original series, they are capable and ready to provide more than 300 new episodes per month.
Check out some of the additions to their portfolio:
* Branded Entertainment—Yahoo! has had a long history of partnering with marketers to develop custom programs and branded creative executions. For example, The Thread sponsored by Proctor and Gamble, had over 3 million unique users a month (comScore MediaBuilder, March 2012).
* Slates— With the launch of the Women’s slate, which to date has seen over 250 million streams (internal data), Yahoo! changed the way advertisers buy online programming by enabling them to buy ad spots across all eight new shows. The additional slates including the Yahoo! Comedy Channel and men’s slate will include the same “Share of Voice” opportunities for advertisers.
-Yahoo! launched season two of the women’s slate, including five renewals and three new shows, such as “Style Studio with Rebecca Minkoff,” hosted by the famed fashion designer (coming May 2012); “The Yo Show,” featuring entertainment news reporter Michael Yo, and a new version of “In the Dressing Room with Cat Deeley,” hosted by the fashion expert and TV personality (coming this spring).
* Blockbusters—Yahoo! is uniquely positioned to deliver one-of-a-kind, immersive, global blockbusters from the world’s biggest storytellers –
-‘Electric City,’ is a new 90-minute, action-packed sci-fi adventure series; it marks Yahoo!’s first foray into original scripted programming.
-Cybergeddon, a digital motion picture from CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, which, in partnership with Norton by Symantec, will bring to life the growing threat of cybercrime.
Ross Levinsohn, EVP & Head of Global Media at Yahoo comments the new material:
“The media and advertising industries are at a watershed moment, and no one is more poised to take advantage of the shift toward digital content than Yahoo!. Globally, we are a digital media powerhouse, providing high-quality, engaging & personalized content on every screen,”
“We’re partnering with industry leaders and top Hollywood talent, creating unique, premium experiences for distinct audiences around the world. By doing so, we create a tremendous opportunity for advertisers to connect with highly engaged and targeted audiences. We provide the content experiences that consumers want and the context that advertisers desire.”
Mickie Rosen, SVP of Yahoo! also comments on their original material:
“Yahoo! is setting the standard for original online entertainment,”
“We’re bringing celebrated storytellers and sophisticated production capabilities to provide our audience with the types of immersive experiences they’re seeking more of on the Web.”
Wayne Powers, SVP of Advertising sales North America ads his sentiments:
“Yahoo! has emerged as the top choice for marketers,”
“We understand better than anyone how to seamlessly blend their messages to target audiences within the context of our unique and compelling content experiences.”
Here’s a look at what’s coming up for 2012 at Yahoo!:
Working Title – Dancing With Myself (Debuts 2013)
From the creators of “Rock Of Ages” comes a musical “jukebox” comedy set in small town Ohio in the mid-80’s, and fueled by a soundtrack of the greatest pop/rock songs of that era. A comedic homage to after school specials of that era, the working title “Dancing With Myself” is an irreverent and satirical tale of one teen’s quest to fit in and find himself, his girl, and his passion… and maybe a few sweet dance moves along the way. (Matthew Weaver/ Chris D’Arienzo /RelativityREAL)
Men’s Slate of Shows and Talent:
Talk Show In Development- No Title (Debuts in July)
Host: Jeff Goldblum
Details to be announced soon
(Yahoo! Studios)
Stunt Nation (Debuts in July)
Host: Sal Masekela
A jump shot that bounces five ways to Sunday before landing in the hoop with nothing but net. The guy who stuffs 30 tacos in his face in 30 seconds. The synchronized dance number staged on a speeding rollercoaster…. For anyone who’s ever wondered how they did it (or if it’s all been faked), Stunt Nation is your fast-paced guide to online enlightenment. In each five-minute episode, we see three hilarious, cringe-inducing stunts and feats that demand a second look. But this isn’t just a clip review show. Each week, we’ll have an expert guest who, Mythbusters-style, will help our host breakdown the feat of the week. Each episode is capped off with the weekly FAIL, a feat gone horribly wrong, proving that while the Internet gives, it also takes away. Five minutes. Four feats. One ultimate show. (Fishbowl Worldwide Media. Executive Producers Vin Di Bona, Bruce Gersh and David Beebe)
Yahoo! Sports Minute (Live)
Host: Angela Sun
Like everyone these days, sports fans are busier than ever. But even though their time may be limited, their passion never is. That’s why there’s the Yahoo! Sports Minute –a daily show that quickly gets millions of sports fans up-to-speed on everything that is happening in the sports world. Hosted by the amazing Angela Sun, the Yahoo! Sports Minute is the series that anchors the entire Yahoo! Sports experience and this slate. The show has been the number one online sports show for four years running with more than 46M streams per year and over 7M minutes per month to the largest sports audience online. (Yahoo! Studios)
KaBOOM! (Debuts in July)
Host: To be announced
Featuring a gorgeous host, a hilarious explosives expert and plenty of firepower…it’s three minutes of man nirvana. The concept is simple and impossible to resist: Ridiculously fun objects getting blown to smithereens. Boom and repeat. Man is not capable of ignoring an explosion. It’s in their DNA. KaBOOM! speaks to that little deviant in each of us. Each episode features our jaw dropping “Bombshell” hostess introducing an item that is about to meet its demise. Objects include 500 Twinkies, 1000 eggs, a 10 ft stuffed Panda, a mountain of Boy Band CD’s… Next our charismatic bomb-geek-expert analyzes the fine points of what we can expect and how he is rigging the object for maximum kaBOOM! Ten cameras capture all the action in real time, slo-mo, super-slo-mo and of course our trademarked Slo-As-A-Mo-Fo. The aftermath is as fun as the set up. (Eyeboogie)
The MANual (Debuts in July)
Hosts: To be announced
Monday through Friday, The MANual presents the ultimate guide to rising above masculine mediocrity. From booze and babes, to sex and style, to food and fitness – we’ve gathered the world’s most influential men’s lifestyle experts and the world’s hottest women to bring you daily advice on simply being a better guy. Delivered with a concise mixture of humor and expertise, The MANual covers the topics we know men truly crave. Whether grilling a burger, complimenting a date, or finding your dream job, The MANual is the ultimate men’s guide to rising above the rest. (Yahoo! Studios)
Superfans (Debuts in July)
Superfans examines the amazing, bizarre and emotional extremes that fans will go to in their daily lives – all in the name of fandom. From family rooms modeled after Lambeau Field, to 300 straight days of wearing the same Drew Brees jersey, to 64 years without missing a game at Fenway, Superfans is an entertaining mix of unbelievable fanaticism and endearing loyalty. This addictive program is a sure-fire hit with our Yahoo! audience who craves extreme stories of fervor, oddity and love. (Yahoo! Studios)
