Yahoo is strengthening its line-up of online video programming with two original comedy series and a new Web channel that will stream live concerts.
"We are in a time of rapid and dramatic change in how people read and view content online. Our goal is to not only enable the future but also to help invent it," said Kathy Savitt, CMO of Yahoo. "Yahoo is focused on connecting artists, storytellers, great content producers and brands with the audiences they want -- at scale, across devices, every single day."
Each series will launch on Yahoo Screen next year and will deliver 30-minute episodes viewers can enjoy all at once on the Yahoo Screen mobile app, desktop, or in their living rooms on Apple TV and Roku.
Other Space, a "galactic adventure" set in the 22nd century, is being created for Yahoo by Paul Feig, who directed the film Bridesmaids and who created the Freaks and Geeks television series. Sin City Saints, which follows the owner of a fictional pro basketball expansion team, is the product of executive producer Mike Tollin and director Bryan Gordon, whose resumes include TV shows such as Smallville, One Tree Hill and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Katie Couric also unveiled two new shows launching this summer. First, a series called "World 3.0," featuring the disruptors, scientists, builders and social entrepreneurs who are "hacking" life as we know it. The second is a series called "Now I Get It," which aims to help people better understand the news drivers and issues of the day by giving them a short, visual explanation in a shareable video.
Savitt also announced a new initiative that will bring millions of viewers live programming and unscripted moments across music, sports and entertainment: Yahoo Live. As part of the initiative, Yahoo will launch a new Live Nation channel on Yahoo Screen. Beginning this summer, Yahoo and Live Nation will begin producing the largest collection of U.S. concert live streams on the web: one live concert, every day, 365 days a year.
Starting today, Yahoo is also bringing readers a ticket around the world with the launch of the new Yahoo Travel digital magazine. It brings together an all-star team of explorers who will cover everything from solo trips and exotic adventures, to affordable family vacations and luxury escapes.
Yahoo also unveiled new video and rich media advertising experiences designed for the Yahoo login page and digital magazines that help brands tell powerful stories. These new ad opportunities will be available in the coming weeks.
Yahoo Splash Ads will be appearing on tablet and desktop.
Yahoo also introduced the Yahoo Full Page Video Login Ads that offer 15-second videos for viewers, and provide brands a new way to capture their attention.
In addition, comScore and Yahoo are partnering to simplify digital ad buying and measurement for marketers around the world. The partnership will provide advertisers with access to comScore's vCE metric through Yahoo's ad serving and reporting tools, delivering TV-comparable metrics for video, display and mobile ad campaigns that reach audiences on Yahoo and across the web.