Yahoo! Unveils New Original Programming, Premium Content Deals, and Innovations in Advertising

Company Website: http://www.yahoo.com
NEW YORK -- (Business Wire)

A four-inch-tall crime fighter, a pair of Hollywood starlets who abuse their personal assistant, and a celebrity who explores the “first times” of fellow stars -- those are just a few highlights of the new programs Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) is unveiling tonight at its Digital Content NewFront in New York. In a star-studded event that will feature Ed Helms, Zachary Levi, John Stamos, Morgan Spurlock, Cheryl Hines, Rachael Harris and others, Yahoo! is announcing its new lineup of video shows, new partnerships to expand content offerings, and new opportunities for advertisers to be at the center of users’ daily habits. The night will be capped by a special performance from The Lumineers, with a live stream of the 30-minute set on Yahoo! Music (http://music.yahoo.com).

“Yahoo!’s unique mix of content and technology leads not only to powerful and personalized experiences for our users, but also to greater distribution for our partners and higher return for our advertisers,” said Henrique de Castro, chief operating officer, Yahoo!. “What we’re showing tonight signals where Yahoo! is headed: beautiful product experiences, exciting new content, big partnerships with the largest media brands, and extraordinary new ad experiences.”

“In the last year, we have more than doubled the original video programming on Yahoo! to become one of the Web’s largest content publishers,” said Erin McPherson, Yahoo! vice president and head of video. “The new shows and partnerships we’re announcing at Yahoo!’s NewFront demonstrate how we are building scale, reaching more targeted audiences, and innovating with content.”

NEW ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING

Yahoo! has already established a vast audience for original premium women’s lifestyle shows and original comedy programming from top studios, production companies, and the award-winning Yahoo! Studios. A new lineup of comedy and lifestyle shows will expand that portfolio.

New Comedy Shows (coming to Yahoo! Fall 2013):

• “Tiny Commando” -- Ed Helms created and stars, along with Zachary Levi, Gillian Jacobs, and some of the biggest names in comedy, in the Principato-Young Entertainment production, “Tiny Commando,” an action-packed series following a four-inch-tall private investigator who uses his awesome fleet of vehicles to fight crime.
• “We Need Help” -- In Vuguru’s “We Need Help,” creators, producers and stars Cheryl Hines and Rachael Harris exploit their shared personal assistant in the series produced by Principato-Young Entertainment and Steve Carr, and directed by Hines.
• “Losing Your Virginity with John Stamos” -- John Stamos interviews celebrities about their first sexual experiences in “Losing Your Virginity with John Stamos,” co-produced by Warriors Poets and executive produced by Morgan Spurlock and John Stamos.

New Lifestyle Shows (coming to Yahoo! later this year):

• “Fashion Recipe” -- Celebrity stylist Brett Alan Nelson shows you how to get the most from one particular article of clothing.
• “Cinema & Spice” -- Julianna Strickland and Natasha Feldman explore food and film while teaching viewers new cooking skills and decorating ideas.
• “Grill Girls” (working title) -- A new grilling show featuring Chef Megan Mitchell sharing her grilling secrets and tips for everything from steaks, to peaches and pizza.

Yahoo! will program its new Fall comedy lineup -- including previously-announced shows, “The Fuzz” from Vuguru, and “Ghost Ghirls” from Shine America and Electric Dynamite -- in a new way for the company. Based on insights from user data, Yahoo! is making all episodes available at once in a “binge-viewing” format, providing viewers with premium programming options beyond traditional TV.

NEW PARTNERSHIPS

In addition to the recently announced “Saturday Night Live” partnership, Yahoo! is partnering with popular consumer brands to add breadth to its existing portfolio of partner content, enhance Yahoo!’s cross-screen experience, and attract new audiences.

Yahoo! and WWE Tag-Team Video Distribution

Yahoo! will be the premiere global video distribution partner for WWE, with a dedicated hub on Yahoo! for all WWE content. Beginning summer 2013, the following WWE content will be available on Yahoo! globally:

• Monday Night Raw pre-show: A 30-minute pre-show to each new Monday Night Raw will be exclusive to Yahoo!.
• Original programming: Two weekly series of 50 episodes per year will be produced exclusively for distribution on Yahoo!.
• Premium archive: Yahoo! will have exclusive access to WWE archives of historical full matches, shows, highlights and other events.
• Additional live events: Yahoo! will air live, pre-show content for every pay-per-view event.
• Clips from current TV programming: Clips from all WWE television programs will now be available on Yahoo!.

ABC News and Yahoo!: Phase Two

The Yahoo!-ABC News Network, the #1 source of news and information online, is excited to announce the next phase of their partnership, which first launched in October 2011. Three of ABC News’ top franchises - Nightline, World News With Diane Sawyer, and Good Morning America - are coming to Yahoo! as unique, daily, digital-native extensions.

• “World News Beyond the Headlines” -- Diane Sawyer and a team of world-class correspondents tell you what you didn’t know about the news of the day. Each day they’ll deliver that extra, interesting nugget. The show will also feature popular franchises such as Person of the Week.
• “Nightline: Online” -- A smart take on the news stories that start conversations. On a daily basis, the team will provide exclusive, first-look content to the Nightline community, on topics ranging from entertainment to pop-culture trends, to breaking news and international exposés.
• “GMA Live” -- GMA Live kicks into full swing in front of a live studio audience, every weekday morning. This digital-only show continues the morning conversation with segments like GMA Rewind, the Play of the Day, EXTRA, and Exclusive Deals.

Yahoo! Finance and CNBC: “Talking Numbers”

Yahoo! Finance and CNBC will debut their third original co-production, “Talking Numbers.” This new incarnation of “Talking Numbers,” originally a successful franchise on CNBC’s Closing Bell, will bring the best of broadcast to an unmatched audience online. Debuting in May, “Talking Numbers” takes a 360-degree approach to trading, highlighting the best investment opportunities by analyzing stocks from both a technical and a fundamental point of view. The ultimate goal: teach viewers not just what to buy, but how to buy, by harnessing both technical and fundamental data points so they can become better investors. Together, Yahoo! Finance and CNBC have created compelling content including shows such as Off the Cuffand Big Data Download.

Yahoo! and Conde Nast

In a new partnership, Yahoo! will distribute Conde Nast Entertainment's video content, inspired by the iconic Conde Nast brands, across the Yahoo! network. The partnership brings engaging lifestyle content to Yahoo!, while adding scale to Conde Nast Entertainment's video series.

NEW ADVERTISER OPPORTUNITIES

NewFront attendees will see new offerings that make the advertiser experience on Yahoo! more relevant, provide more reach, and weave brands into the creative canvas:

• Yahoo! Stream Ads, a performance-based native advertisement embedded in the personalized content stream on the new Yahoo! homepage.
• Billboard, an ad positioned at the top of the Yahoo! homepage and designed to enhance the user experience with rich and immersive interactions.
• Yahoo! is offering a new video ad buying method that blends its own topical video channels with distribution partners’ video content to create 18 new category-specific channels that deliver a new level of contextual relevance for advertisers.

With its new content and technology offerings, Yahoo! now has one of the most complete and effective video solution sets on the market. Brands can own a show with Yahoo!’s custom branded entertainment solutions, buy a category using 18 channels of contextually relevant content, and target an audience with Yahoo!’s industry-leading audience buying capabilities.

SHOW DESCRIPTIONS

Tiny Commando

Ed Helms became addicted to radio controlled toys at young age. Upon learning to pilot tiny helicopters, dune buggies, airplanes, boats and even motorcycles, Ed’s backyard suddenly became a miniature Jerry Bruckheimer movie. Always underlying the fun was a delightful fantasy: “What if a little tiny guy was actually piloting this thing?” And thus “Tiny Commando” was hatched. Part action, part comedy, and part insane RC vehicle chase sequence, every episode is a bombastic thrill ride of miniature adrenaline! Produced by Principato-Young Entertainment

We Need Help

A Vuguru production, “We Need Help” takes place in the world of the rich and semi-famous, centering around a common problem: being stuck in a terrible job. Max is a struggling actor and needs work (and just one good showbiz connection wouldn’t hurt). He agrees to take the job of being a personal assistant to actresses and friends Cheryl Hines and Rachael Harris (who created and produced the show and also play versions of themselves in the vein of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”). Needing the money to take classes, eat and pay the rent, he's willing to do things no 23-year-old man would ever do and still keep his integrity intact. Produced by Principato-Young Entertainment and Steve Carr and directed by Cheryl Hines.

Losing Your Virginity with John Stamos

Each week, John will visit a different celebrity to get the scoop on how it all went down the first time she/he “did it.” Adding to the entertainment, viewers will be treated to humorous recreations using crude animation, stop-motion techniques, and the occasional Barbie Doll and/or sock puppet to help underscore the story. This is more than just a show about how celebrities lost their virginity; it’s about who they were before they were famous; and what insecurities they faced during their teen years. Co-Produced by Warriors Poets & Executive Produced by Morgan Spurlock & John Stamos

Cinema & Spice

“Cinema & Spice” is an interactive cooking show showcasing Julianna Strickland and Natasha Feldman’s mutual love for delicious, healthy foods and fantastic shows and movies. Join them in an exploration of food and film while learning new cooking skills and unique decorating ideas! Produced by Cinema & Spice, LLC

Grill Girls (working title)

Hosted by Chef Megan Mitchell, this grilling show features women who know how to grill, as they share their secrets for grilling to perfection. Episodes will cover standard grill fare such as grilling the perfect steak, and even grilling peaches and pizza, and explore little known facts that can help everyone enhance their grilling skills. Produced by Yahoo! Studios

Fashion Recipe

“Fashion Recipe” visits a different woman’s closet each week with our celebrity stylist, Brett Alan Nelson, who examines how to get the most from a particular article of clothing (the pencil skirt, the little black dress, a blazer) or a killer accessory (scarves, bracelets, bags). This fast-paced, tip-filled program combines a look at fashion-forward trends with information and advice on how every woman can afford to bring them to life without breaking the bank. Produced by Full Picture

ABOUT YAHOO!

Yahoo! is focused on making the world's daily habits inspiring and entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the company's blog (yodel.yahoo.com).

Contacts:

Yahoo! Inc.
Bahareh Ramin, 310-779-3031
bahareh@yahoo-inc.com

Source: Yahoo! Inc.