When online video consumers are asked what they want most from a streaming video service these days, Evan Shapiro, executive vice president of NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises, says it’s a good laugh.
“On almost any night of the week, people are going to living rooms and bowling alleys to see stand-up comics,†Shapiro said. “It’s a reflection of the time that we’re living in. Right now comedy is more necessary than it’s ever been. “
That’s why Shapiro’s division chose to go with the all-comedy channel Seeso for its first online subscription channel.
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NBCUniversal announced Wednesday that the over-the-top service — which can be used on mobile devices, laptops, tablets and Internet-connected TVs — will launch Jan. 7. The move represents a play to reach younger viewers who are not yet ready to commit to a cable service.
Seeso also is among the first niche online channels launched by a traditional media company and may signal the beginning of a new multichannel universe, similar to the early days of cable.
Right now comedy is more necessary than it’s ever been.
— Evan Shapiro, executive vice president of NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises
For $3.99 a month, Seeso subscribers will have unlimited access to uncensored, commercial-free comedy programs and clips (viewers can sample for free until the official launch). The service is promising at least 20 original series a year, including a sketch and stand-up show using regulars from the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy club, a bizarre comedy featuring “Community†creator Dan Harmon, and an animated program based on the dark Web comic Cyanide and Happiness.
The site will have 2,000 hours of original content at launch, including stand-up comedy specials shot at clubs and short performance clips.
For users whose comedic taste runs old school, there are remastered episodes of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.†The site will also mine NBC’s sitcom library and be a streaming platform for its late-night talk shows and “Saturday Night Live.â€
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Zac Barnett of American Authors is seen on set for a video shoot on Oct. 26, 2014, in Dickson, Tenn. (Rick Diamond / Getty Images)
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Extras acting in the HBO series “Game of Thrones†leave the bullring on Oct. 22, 2014, as film crews began shooting part of the fifth season in the southern Spanish city of Osuna. (CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP/Getty Images)
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Indira Varma is on the set of “Game of Thrones†at Real Alcazar on Oct. 19, 2014, in Seville, Spain. (Europa Press / Europa Press via Getty Images)
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Actors film “Game of Thrones†at Real Alcazar on Oct. 19, 2014, in Seville, Spain. (Europa Press / Europa Press via Getty Images)
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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is on the set of “Game of Thrones†at Real Alcazar on Oct. 19 in Seville, Spain. (Europa Press / Europa Press via Getty Images)
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Sylvester Stallone poses with his puppet as he takes part in the TV show “Le Grand Journal†at the Cannes Film Festival. (LOIC VENANCE / AFP/Getty Images)
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Jamie Foxx filming “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†on April 21, 2013, in New York City. (Aby Baker/Getty Images)
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Actor Andrew Garfield, center left, is seen on the set of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†in New York City with his stunt double William Spencer, right, and a second stunt double. (Raymond Hall/ WireImage/Getty Images)
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Actor Andrew Garfield, right, rehearses a scene with his stunt double William Spencer on the “The Amazing Spiderman 2†movie set in Madison Square Park in New York.
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Actor Andrew Garfield, right, his stunt double William Spencer, center, and a second stunt double are seen on the set of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†in New York City. (Raymond Hall/ WireImage/Getty Images)
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Jamie Foxx filming on location for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†on April 21, 2013, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone filming “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†on location in New York City. (Aby Baker/Getty Images)
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Jamie Foxx as Electro/Max Dillon in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†on location in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Actor Andrew Garfield, right, his stunt double William Spencer, center, and a second stunt double are seen on the set of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†in New York City. (Raymond Hall/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Actor Paul Giamatti films a scene at the “The Amazing Spiderman 2†movie set in Madison Square Park on June 22, 2013, in New York City. (Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)
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Actor Andrew Garfield is seen on the set of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†in New York City. (Raymond Hall/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Actor Paul Giamatti is seen on the set of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†in New York City. (Raymond Hall/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Actor Paul Giamatti on the set of “The Amazing Spiderman 2†in New York City’s Madison Square Park. (Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)
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Jamie Foxx on location for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†in New York City. (Bobby Bank/ WireImage/Getty Images)
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Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart play mother and daughter filming on location for “Still Alice†on March 21, 2014, at Lido Beach, N.Y. (Steve Sands/Getty Images)
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Richard Gere on the set of “Time Out Of Mind†on March 26, 2014, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImages/Getty Images)
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Jeremy Renner films an action scene in Aoasta, Italy, for “Avengers: Age of Ultron.â€. (Photopix/Getty Images)
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Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson film on location in Pont-Saint-Martin in Aosta, Italy, for “Avengers: Age of Ultron.†(Photopix/Getty Images)
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Actors are suited up for special effects on the set of “Avengers: Age of Ultron†in Aosta, Italy. (Photopix/Getty Images)
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Richard Gere and Ben Vereen on the set of “Time Out Of Mind†on March 26, 2014, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Arnold Schwarzenegger performs on the set of “Despierta America†with Joe Manganiello at Univision Headquarters in Miami. (Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)
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Donal Logue, left, and Ben McKenzie on the set of “Gotham†on March 20, 2014, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Kevin McHale, left, Chord Overstreet, Chris Colfer and Darren Chris on the set of “Glee†at Washington Square Park on March 14, 2014, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Lea Michele and Michael Lerner on the set of “Glee†on March 16, 2014, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Louie CK on the set of “Louie†on Jan. 31, 2014, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Wil Estes and Vanessa Ray on the set of “Blue Bloods†on Jan. 31, 2014, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Skyler Gisondo and Ben Stiller on the set of “Night at the Museum 3†on Feb. 6, 2014, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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George Clooney, second from left, filming “Tomorrowland†at Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias on Jan. 21, 2014, in Valencia, Spain. (Europa Press/Europa Press via Getty Images)
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Kevin Bacon and Sprague Grayden on the set of “The Following†on Dec. 10, 2013, in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Mark Wahlberg is seen on set filming the movie ‘Transfomers 4: Age of Extinction’ on Sunday October 27,2013 in Hong Kong,China. (TPG/Getty Images)
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Mark Wahlberg performs on the set of “Transformers: Age of Extinction†in Hong Kong on Oct. 26, 2013. (Aaron Tam/ AFP/Getty Images)
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Scarlett Johansson filming a scene for her new movie, “Lucy†on Oct. 21, 2013, in Taipei, China. (TPG/Getty Images)
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Director Clint Eastwood, right, and actor John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli on the set of “Jersey Boys†in Kearny, N.J. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Edie Falco, left, and Julie White on the set of “Nurse Jackie†in New York City. (Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images)
Shapiro, a former chief for the cable networks Sundance Channel and IFC, knows that building yet another video brand name for consumers in the crowded digital universe is daunting. But after taking in the responses from 11,000 consumers over the last year in online surveys about their streaming video viewing habits, Shapiro believes Seeso will satisfy their appetites and expectations.
“Comedy was, by a Secretariat’s length, the most important genre that people wanted every day, every week,†Shapiro said. “We asked them about how often do you expect a video service to be refreshed? The more you refresh it the happier they are. What became very evident early and often is that these services are going to be driven entirely by original content. It’s why we’re putting fresh stuff up every day and every week.â€
Series will have their episodes released on a weekly basis to encourage users to check in regularly instead of releasing them all at once.
Once a user logs onto Seeso, the service automatically plays a program — addressing yet another grievance in the era of endless viewing choices.
“Netflix, Amazon and Hulu are great services if you’re in the middle of a binge,†he said. “But if you’re leaning back on a Saturday night after a beer — or if you’re in Colorado, after a bong hit — and looking for something to watch, these services become work. Often you can finish a search unsatisfied.â€
Seeso is clearly a play by NBCUniversal to pick up some viewers in the 18-to-24 age group who have subscribed to cable and spend more time with streaming video instead of watching conventional TV.
“That sitcom they watched last year on TV? They probably streamed it this year,†noted a recent Nielsen report, which cited a 14% year-over-year decline in TV viewing time among the age group in the second quarter of 2015.
