by This Just In (ahem!)…HBO has bought part of Funny or Die and ordered 10 half-hours of programming from the online video site!
"We do know we want it to be in the same family of the comedy that
we’re doing on the website — just a wide range of anything from a
funny offbeat talkshow to a maybe more-traditional-type sitcom to a
show with puppets," Will Ferrell told Daily Variety.
"We don’t want to limit ourselves in any way, which is what we love
about the stuff that we do for Funny or Die. The spitballing on these
ideas is going to be the fun part of all this."
Once again, the power of celebrity has helped Funny or Die thrive while other similar online comedy video sites have faltered (including HBO’s previous effort, This Just In). The Variety article also reports that Funny or Die has completed two rounds of financing backed by Sequoia Capital, is worth an estimated $100 million, and averages 3.2 million monthly unique visitors to the site. Which reminds me, The Comic’s Comic also is open to outside investors! Email me to find out how…
