AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

NewTeeVee

Yahoo has discontinued production of its viral video roundup show The 9. The show’s final episode aired on Monday. Neeraj Khemlani, Yahoo’s head of programming, downplayed the change when we talked to him late Wednesday, contending The 9 had seen surprising longevity. “Two years in Internet time is All in the Family.”

Speaking perhaps to the general futility of video clip shows, Khemlani added, “It’s a lot easier just to email somebody a link to a given video.”

Khemlani would not disclose The 9’s audience size — a move that seems silly in this day and age. He would only say the show had “pretty sizeable” viewership that was “totally dependent on programming” — i.e., not a regular audience. The 9 had long been sponsored by Pepsi.…more