CollegeHumor Bets on the Profane With New Subscription Service
*By Max Godnick*
CollegeHumor is dropping out of the internet.
The online comedy network on Wednesday launched DROPOUT, an ad-free, mixed-media subscription service for uncensored comedy.
"Think of it as the late, late night for comedy on the internet," CH Media CEO Richard Cusick said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar.
The mobile-first platform is currently in beta and will supplement its current slate of written and video content with longer-form entertainment that veers more "mature."
Through his platform's quirky, off-kilter, "TV-MA" approach, Cusick said DROPOUT will allow fans of online comedy to revisit a time before Facebook and other platforms homogenized digital content with algorithmic and centralized content distribution.
Though CollegeHumor was an early beneficiary of social media's reach and sharability, much like other comedy platforms including Funny or Die, it struggled to compete with cat videos and viral memes.
"Facebook ($FB) became the internet," Cusick said of the shifting media landscape. "Since now everybody's gone to Facebook and YouTube, it's kind of been dumbed down."
The new venture will help CollegeHumor, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of IAC ($IAC), celebrate the quirkiness of the internet with projects that probably would not have been green-lit by more traditional outlets. But the move does not imply the platform will abandon its roots. Cusick said CollegeHumor will continue to increase its presence on its own site and YouTube channel.
The project will also help CollegeHumor avoid the perils of branded content. Cusick alluded to his site's strong relationship with its advertising platforms, but acknowledged that branded commitments can limit the type of material allowed on air ーno profanity, no nudity, and guardrails about off-limits topics.
"It's actually even more restrictive than what you find on late night TV," he said.
But with a lineup of news shows including "Lonely and Horny," "Cartoon Hell Presents," and "Gay Spy," CollegeHumor appears to be safely back to its R-rated origins, thanks to DROPOUT.
A beta version of DROPOUT will be available Wednesday, Sept. 26 for $3.99 per month on the web and mobile browsers. A full slate of pricing tiers will be available in November.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/collegehumor-drops-out-of-the-internet-with-dropout).
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