Original TV content isn’t looking profitable over at Yahoo, which released an overall weak third-quarter earnings report Tuesday. The tech giant’s CFO Ken Goldman told reporters over the phone that the company’s video division specifically took a huge (read: $42 million) hit — namely thanks to such underperforming series as Community, Sin City Saints, and Other Space, all of which have officially been written off and deemed poor investments. This is bad news particularly for Community fans, as it further supports the line of thinking that the show’s on its way out. The property had been revived for a sixth season at Yahoo after NBC axed it, but star Joel McHale has said a second season at its new home is unlikely because of the cast’s rising star power. (Looks like creator Dan Harmon’s prophecy is coming true, too.)
The intent of the company’s foray into the original-content space in the first place was to compete with other streamers, such as Netflix. But now: “As we move into 2016, we will work to narrow our strategy, focusing on fewer products with higher quality to achieve improved growth and profitability,†CEO Marissa Mayer told the media Tuesday, referencing Yahoo’s results and more streamlined plan to correct course, which also includes a partnership with Google to bolster search results and ads.
Bummed? As a small consolation, Variety notes that there’s still hope on a couple fronts, at least for Community (because Community has hope in spades): First, Goldman added that the company’s “not saying we’re not going to do these at all in the future. But what we are saying is, in three cases at least, it didn’t work the way we had hoped it to work, and we’ve decided to move on.†And second, insiders are saying there’s still a chance for a Community movie, regardless of Yahoo’s support. Yes, please?