NBCUniversal to Launch Comedy Video Platform
posted Sunday Mar 8, 2015 by Nicholas DiMeo
Aereo's demise, by coincidence or not, has sprung a bunch of standalone video on-demand subscription apps created by major broadcasters or cable companies. HBO Now, SlingTV, Starz and CBS all come to mind, and mixed in with that are the time-tested services like Netflix and Hulu. However, even with NBCUniversal's involvement in many services already, including their own monthly subscription platform, the company is launching yet another online video network.
This one is a little different, as it will be focused on NBCUniversal's comedy, but it will certainly add to the company's portfolio of Internet offerings that they're involved in. The service is still in the beginning phase of development, but it is said that it will contain The Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live. NBCUniversal's newest employee, Evan Shapiro, who is the executive VP for digital enterprises, will be spearheading the endeavor.
This gives NBCUniversal four different video on-demand services they're directly involved in, with Radius, NBC's fitness-based channel, being the newest and latest project. Could so much parity between offerings cause NBC more trouble? Or will genre-specific programming play better to the consumer? We'll know the fate of this comedy-based channel in just a few short months.
