IP Democracy: Yahoo Backpedals on Ambitious TV Plans

The New York Times’ Saul Hansell has this piece today outlining Yahoo’s about-face regarding its ambitious plans to develop original TV programming. Lloyd Braun, controversial head of Yahoo’s Media Group, is retreating from his TV network-inspired ideas to develop original entertainment shows for the web.

The company instead will primarily look to other content suppliers to fill its video holes, and is talking up the concept of user-generated content. But Braun is clearly chastened, and in a gambit that seems orchestrated to portray Braun as someone who has seen the error of his ways, the former Chairman of ABC Entertainment is contrite throughout Hansell’s piece.

I realized I have to check my ego at the door for a moment, and forget whatever expectations people had about me because of my former life, and really take a hard look at who should this business be built for the long term — a business that is not dependent on a series of expensive one-off’s to survive.

Even though Braun is talking publicly to quash the rumors that he’s being pushed out of Yahoo for his Hollywood-ish ways, Hansell’s piece notes that Yahoo CEO Terry Semel wasn’t available for comment. Ouch! COO Dan Rosenzweig is quoted as saying “We are happy with Lloyd,” but that’s almost worse than no corporate affirmation because it only highlights the fact that Semel, who brought Braun on board, isn’t backing his executive.

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on March 2, 2006 12:20 PM to IP Democracy