By Michael Calia
NBCUniversal on Tuesday said it plans to launch an extensive
original programming slate for its digital platforms.
The Comcast Corp. unit said the programming would be featured on
its channels' websites, through video on-demand services and on
streaming service Hulu.
NBCUniversal said the plan is "designed to connect advertising
brands with consumers in the most engaging and immersive ways." The
digital series, in several cases, will be developed in
collaboration with advertising partners, the company added.
"Much of the uncaptured value in the online world can be
unlocked with smart collaborations between creators and clients,"
NBCUniversal content executive Jeff Wachtel said in a release.
"This year, we're making a big push to building that bridge."
NBCUniversal's announcement Tuesday comes two weeks after it
reached a multiyear deal to give Hulu exclusive rights to stream
several TV shows.
Big media companies are investing more time and money in
developing digital and online content as consumers stream more
programming through services such as Netflix Inc., Amazon.com
Inc.'s Prime service and Hulu, which is owned by Comcast, 21st
Century Fox Inc. and Walt Disney Co.
Disney, whose Marvel Studios has a deal to produce series for
Netflix, is close to clinching its deal to buy online-video
producer Maker Studios after Maker rebuffed midtier film producer
Relativity Media LLC's last-ditch bid.
Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) is also seeking to get in on the online video
action as the search company looks to acquire original series, The
Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month.
NBCUniversal on Tuesday said Universal's cable-productions unit
will feature more than a dozen original digital video projects,
including "Tesla and Twain," a comedic series about author Mark
Twain and inventor Nikola Tesla being transported to modern-day Los
Angeles.
Universal Television's offerings for NBC.com will include
"Heroes Reborn: Digital Series," a prequel to the upcoming "Heroes"
miniseries, as well as a series featuring fans who wait in line at
Rockefeller Center to watch "Saturday Night Live" broadcasts.
Write to Michael Calia at michael.calia@wsj.com
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