Dropout (media company)

Last updated

Dropout TV
Dropout logo.png
Type of site
Headquarters2012 Hyperion Avenue,
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
Area servedWorldwide
Owner Sam Reich
Industry Internet
Parent CH Media (DBA Dropout)
URL www.dropout.tv
RegistrationRequired
LaunchedSeptember 26, 2018;5 years ago (2018-09-26)
Current statusActive

Dropout (stylized as Dropout.tv, DROPOUT, or :DROPOUT) is an American boutique subscription streaming service run by the production company of the same name (formerly CollegeHumor), founded in September 2018. Dropout streams original programming, and does not run advertisements. Their content is mainly composed of live play and improv comedy, such as Dimension 20 , hosted by Brennan Lee Mulligan, and Game Changer , hosted by Dropout owner Sam Reich.

Contents

History

CollegeHumor

In early September 2018, CollegeHumor began teasing the beginning of a new subscription service, putting hidden keyword clues on their website and in their videos.[ citation needed ] Entering these keywords into a website owned by CollegeHumor allowed users to see clips of videos, audio, and images that implied the beginning of a new CollegeHumor project.[ citation needed ]

On September 26, 2018, Dropout officially launched in the United States. [1] [2] CollegeHumor's CEO, Rich Cusick, announced the service as a "TV-MA version of CollegeHumor", allowing fans to dive deeper into pre-established characters and shows from the primary CollegeHumor YouTube channel. [3] CollegeHumor's Chief Creative Officer, Sam Reich, also claims that the founding of Dropout was in response to difficulty in receiving advertising dollars on traditional media platforms for mature content. [4]

Dropout officially launched native iOS and Android apps for its service in December 2018, allowing users to watch shows and also cast to smart TVs. Comics, especially the chat stories, were integrated into the app. [5]

Independent ownership

After IAC sold CollegeHumor to Reich in 2020, Dropout ended production on scripted shows and focused on unscripted shows such as Um, Actually, Dimension 20 , and Game Changer , briefly producing these series through online conference during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the July-November 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Dropout series such as Dimension 20, Game Changer and Um, Actually were initially shut down. [6] Reich stated:

Because we aren't associated with the AMPTP, it's possible we may be able to reach an interim agreement with SAG that allows us to continue to produce content during the strike. But we'll only do that, obviously, if we get the blessing of the union and the buy-in of our performers. If not, we have enough content in the can to last us a little past the end of the year. [...] As for me, I intend to honor my union's position that I not promote SAG productions as a performer – even if they are produced by me. That means that I won't personally be promoting any of our shows for the time being. [7]

In August 2023, Reich announced that all Dropout shows resumed production as it was determined that their "New Media Agreement for Non-Dramatic Programming" was actually a non-struck SAG-AFTRA contract. [8] [9] [10]

Also in August 2023, NPR stated that "Dropout has not shared their official subscriber count, but Reich says it's in the mid-hundreds of thousands. He's very aware that doesn't come close to the hundreds of millions of subscribers that large media companies have, but, to him, that's not necessarily a problem. ... Though they're not required to by unions, he said Dropout is working to become one of the first streamers to pay residuals to their writers, actors, and crew members". [11] Dropout's overall subscriber count almost doubled during 2023. [10]

Dropout officially retired all CollegeHumor branding in September 2023. [12]

In 2023, Dropout shared its profit with its employees and other workers. [13] [10]

Dropout's show Very Important People was the People's Voice Winner in the video comedy category at the 2024 Webby Awards. [14]

Availability

Dropout is available worldwide; as of 2024 around 60% of subscribers were in the United States. [13]

Subscription model

Dropout launched with a beta price of $3.99 per month, for the first three months of the service. After December 2018, the price rose to a three tiered option, with monthly memberships for $5.99/month, semi-annual memberships for $4.99/month, and annual memberships for $3.99/month. [15] As of 4 January 2022, new subscribers paid $5.99 monthly or $59.99 yearly, while those who already subscribed prior to that date were charged $4.99 monthly or $47.99 yearly. [16] Users are also able to access Dropout content through YouTube via the join function. The company has justified the pricing model as allowing them to create content without being dependent on, or beholden to, requests from advertisers. [17]

As of December 2018, visitors to the service spent on average 31 minutes per visit, and visited on average 3.5 times per week. [5] Throughout 2019, Dropout began to experiment with more live streaming versions of their shows, through using Twitch and podcast-like formats. At the end of 2023, the average user subscribed for 18 months. [10]

In August 2019, CollegeHumor also began to partner with Facebook to offer Dropout content via paid video subscriptions on Facebook's platform. [18]

Services

In addition to original series, Dropout offered videos produced by CollegeHumor 72 hours before they were released to the public. Previously, a subscriber-only Discord server was included as a service, but the server has since been opened to non-subscribers as well. Dropout also has a store which sells merchandise (such as shirts, stickers, and mugs) related to shows on the platform. [19] [20]

Original shows

Shows on Dropout are usually released fortnightly, a schedule used more often for podcasts than for television. [10]

Dropout planned to release a new original title per month in 2019, according to Sam Reich. [21] [22]

By 2020, the service had retired all scripted shows in favor of cheaper and more successful unscripted content. [12]

Dirty Laundry, Play It By Ear, and Make Some Noise, each spun off from Game Changer, premiered throughout 2022. In 2023, Dropout started airing the improvisational interview show Very Important People, and the service will introduce several new shows in 2024, including Smartypants, Nobody Asked, Gastronauts, Dropout Presents, and Thousandaires. [23] [24] [25]

TitleGenrePremiereSeasonsLengthStatus
Lonely and Horny Comedy April 8, 20162 seasons, 20 episodes10 minsEnded
Breaking News Comedy July 7, 20187 seasons, 93 episodes10 minsAiring
Dimension 20 Actual play September 12, 2018 [26] 21 seasons, 231 episodes120 minsAiring
Cartoon Hell Animated series September 26, 2018 [27] 2 seasons, 36 episodes20 minsEnded
See Plum Run Comedy September 26, 2018 [28] 1 season, 12 episodes15 minsEnded
Um, Actually Game show September 28, 2018 [29] 9 seasons, 143 episodes30 minsAiring
Erotic Book Club Comedy December 29, 2018 [30] 1 season, 19 episodes [30] [31] 60 minsEnded
WTF 101 Adult animation January 7, 2019 [32] 1 season, 10 episodes10 minsEnded
Total Forgiveness Reality television February 6, 2019 [33] 1 season, 10 episodes20 minsEnded
The Rank Room Talk show March 7, 2019 [34] 1 season, 17 episodes20 minsEnded
Troopers Comedy April 8, 20191 season, 9 episodes15 minsEnded
Paranoia Comedy April 20, 20192 seasons, 15 episodes20 minsEnded
Kingpin KatieCrime comedyJune 10, 2019 [35] 1 season, 8 episodes15 minsEnded
Gods of Food Mockumentary August 8, 2019 [36] 1 season, 6 episodes20 minsEnded
Game Changer Game show September 20, 2019 [37] 6 seasons, 57 episodes30 minsAiring
Ultramechatron Team Go! Comedy October 3, 2019 [38] 1 season, 11 episodes15 minsEnded
Where in the Eff is Sarah Cincinnati Game show December 18, 2019 [39] 1 season, 6 episodes [40] 20 minsEnded
Dimension 20's Adventuring Party Aftershow April 14, 2020 [41] 16 seasons, 164 episodes30 minsAiring
Erotic Clubhouse Comedy June 25, 20201 season, 10 episodes [42] 60 minsEnded
Dirty Laundry Game show April 11, 2022 [43] 3 seasons, 31 episodes40 minsRenewed
Make Some Noise Improvisational comedy June 13, 2022 [44] [45] 2 seasons, 27 episodes30 minsRenewed
Play It By Ear Musical improv [46] September 13, 2022 [47] [48] 2 seasons, 16 episodes40 minsRenewed
Very Important People Improvisational comedy Talk show December 15, 2023 [49] [50] 1 season, 10 episodes20 minsAiring
Smartypants Comedy April 25, 2024 [51] 1 season, 1 episodes30 minsAiring
Thousandaires Comedy May 31, 2024 [52] Upcoming
Dropout Presents Stand-up June 12, 2024 [53] Upcoming
Nobody Asked Mockumentary 2024 [24] Upcoming
Gastronauts Comedy, Cooking show 2024 [25] Upcoming

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actual play</span> Podcast or web show genre

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<i>Game Changer</i> (game show) Comedy game show on the streaming service Dropout

Game Changer is a comedy panel game show on Dropout created and hosted by Sam Reich. The show follows players, typically three comedians, who participate in a new game every episode, with the players usually kept unaware of the premise and rules of the game beforehand. According to Polygon, the show "combines improv comedy, puzzle solving, fierce competition, and a prankster ethos." Game Changer episodes have led to three spinoff shows on Dropout: Dirty Laundry, Make Some Noise, and Play It By Ear.

References

  1. ↑ "How the Internet Is Ruining Comedy". YouTube. CollegeHumor. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  2. ↑ Raftery, Brian (September 26, 2018). "The Latest Company to Try a Subscription Streamer? CollegeHumor". Wired. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  3. ↑ Godnick, Max (September 26, 2018). "CollegeHumor Bets on the Profane With New Subscription Service". Cheddar. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  4. ↑ Minor, Jordan (November 14, 2018). "CollegeHumor Dropout Is Premium Streaming Internet Comedy". Geek.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Weiss, Geoff (December 10, 2018). "CollegeHumor Launches Native iOS, Android Apps For 'Dropout' Subscription Service". TubeFilter. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  6. ↑ "What Does the SAG-AFTRA Strike Mean for Actual Play Shows?". Gizmodo. July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  7. ↑ Reich, Sam [@samreich] (July 15, 2023). "Dropout production is right now on hold. Because we aren't associated with the AMPTP, it's possible we may be able to reach an interim agreement with SAG that allows us to continue to produce content during the strike. [THREAD]" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Reich, Sam [@samreich] (August 8, 2023). "Dropout is back in production. 🫡 Details below. 👇 [Thread]" (Tweet). Retrieved August 8, 2023– via Twitter.
  9. ↑ Carter, Justin (August 8, 2023). "Streaming Platform Dropout Is Resuming Production". Gizmodo . Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Maas, Jennifer (December 11, 2023). "Dropout CEO Talks Doubling CollegeHumor Successor's Streaming Subs and Content Output, Price Increase Plans and First Profit Sharing". Variety.
  11. ↑ Wilson, Tilda (August 12, 2023). "Amid streaming chaos, Dropout carves out its own niche". NPR . Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Polo, Susana (September 26, 2023). "Dropout's dropping CollegeHumor on its 5th anniversary — here's why and what the future holds". Polygon.
  13. 1 2 Cheong, Wayne (April 22, 2024). "ESQnA with Sam Reich, CEO of Dropout and Host of Game Changer". Esquire Singapore.
  14. ↑ "Very Important People". Webby Awards. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  15. ↑ Ha, Anthony (September 26, 2018). "CollegeHumor unveils Dropout, a subscription service for comedy videos, comics and more". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Dropout on Twitter" . Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  17. ↑ Sands, Mason P. (November 19, 2018). "What's Up with Dropout.tv? A Review of CollegeHumor's New Venture | Arts | The Harvard Crimson". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  18. ↑ England, Rachel. "Facebook tests paid video subscriptions, starting with CollegeHumor". Engadget. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  19. ↑ "DROPOUT Store". DROPOUT Store, Connected Ventures, LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  20. ↑ "CollegeHumor Partners With Rooster Teeth's Podcast Network 'The Roost'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  21. ↑ Spangler, Todd (September 26, 2018). "CollegeHumor Launches Subscription Service for Edgy, Advertiser-Unfriendly Comedy". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  22. ↑ Donahue, Matt. "CollegeHumor's DROPOUT Unveils Slate of Upcoming Originals". But Why Tho Podcast. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  23. ↑ Luse, Brittany (February 6, 2024). "Sam Reich on revamping the game show - and Dropout's success as a small streamer". NPR.
  24. 1 2 Champagne, Christine (January 18, 2024). "Dropout's Diverse Programming Focuses on the Funny". Television Academy.
  25. 1 2 Brown, Jordon. "Interview with Dropout CEO Sam Reich". YouTube.
  26. ↑ "Dimension 20". Dropout. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  27. ↑ Cartoon Hell (TV Series 2018– ) - IMDb , retrieved September 9, 2020
  28. ↑ See Plum Run (TV Series 2018– ) - IMDb , retrieved September 9, 2020
  29. ↑ "Um, Actually". Dropout. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  30. 1 2 Erotic Book Club (Comedy), December 29, 2018, retrieved September 9, 2020
  31. ↑ "Erotic Book Club". DROPOUT. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  32. ↑ WTF 101 (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb , retrieved September 9, 2020
  33. ↑ Total Forgiveness (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb , retrieved September 9, 2020
  34. ↑ The Rank Room (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb , retrieved September 9, 2020
  35. ↑ Kingpin Katie (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb , retrieved September 9, 2020
  36. ↑ Bennett, Anita (July 16, 2019). "Mockumentary Cooking Series 'Gods of Food' To Debut On CollegeHumor's Dropout In August". Deadline. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  37. ↑ Game Changer (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb , retrieved September 9, 2020
  38. ↑ Ultramechatron Team Go! (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb , retrieved September 29, 2023
  39. ↑ "CollegeHumor's Dropout to Premiere WHERE IN THE EFF IS SARAH CINCINNATI?". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Where in the Eff is Sarah Cincinnati". DROPOUT. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Dimension 20's Adventuring Party". DROPOUT. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  42. ↑ "Erotic Clubhouse". DROPOUT. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  43. ↑ "Dirty Laundry on Twitter" . Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  44. ↑ "Game Changer on Twitter" . Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  45. ↑ "Make Some Noise". Dropout. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  46. ↑ Williams, Tommy (April 9, 2023). "Dropout is an Unsung Winner of Streaming Services". GeekTyrant. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  47. ↑ "Play It By Ear Trailer". YouTube . Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  48. ↑ "Play It By Ear". Dropout. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  49. ↑ "Very Important People Trailer". YouTube . Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  50. ↑ "Very Important People". Dropout. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  51. ↑ "Smartypants Trailer [Dropout Exclusive]". YouTube. Dropout. March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  52. ↑ Polo, Susana (May 3, 2024). "Dropout's newest game show asks who wants to be a... thousandaire?". Polygon. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  53. ↑ Davis, Clayton (May 8, 2024). "Dropout Jumps Into Emmys With 'Game Changer' and 'Very Important People,' 'Dimension 20' Not Eligible for Submission". Variety.
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