AOL, NBCU partner to make shows

AOL has teamed up with NBCUniversal (NBCU) on a far-reaching agreement that will see the companies co-develop and coproduce programming.

Their first original web series, details of which remain under wraps, will be made available via the firms’ TV and online services, and the pair are also in discussions on creating weekly live programming together.

AOL will make content from NBCU available via its AOL On service and its mobile app, featuring video from channels such as Bravo, E!, Esquire, and NBC. AOL On claims to average one billion multi-platform video views per month and houses more than one million original and partner videos.

Bob Lord, president of AOL, said the partnership would put “NBCU’s premium video programming front and centre for AOL multi-platform users.”

The deal was revealed at NewFronts in New York where Dermot McCormack, AOL’s president of video and studios, said the online service would be “embarking on a whole new era of digital content.”

McCormack said AOL was “reimagining the definition of original programming,” with the company introducing a slew of shows and adding that it would now be launching original programming throughout the year.

Shows on AOL’s slate include renewals for Steve Buscemi talkshow Park Bench and James Franco’s Making a Scene, as well as comedy programme 2 Point Lead and Citizen Mars, which meets finalists in the Mars 100 competition who hope to embark on a journey to the planet.

McCormack said AOL’s line-up is “the very best of what TV does combined with the mobility, interactivity and openness of the internet. Content is still king but it’s the kingdom that is changing.”