Originally founded in 1999 by Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen, then independent website CollegeHumor was acquired by holding media and entertainment company IAC.[1] CollegeHumor's work originally only included editorial articles, but eventually expanded to include online video and development and production of TV shows.[2] In 2013, the video production CollegeHumor team moved to Los Angeles to continue to create online and traditional video consisting of shows like Adam Ruins Everything and Hot Date as well as sketch and short-form comedy on its YouTube channel.[2] However, ad revenue became increasingly scarce, with YouTube's unfavorable ad rates and an ongoing risk of CollegeHumor's content being demonetized on the platform, as well as Facebook's inflated viewership numbers not bringing in anticipated ad sales.[3]
After starting production in 2017, CollegeHumor launched its Dropout TV video platform on September26, 2018.[4][5][6][7] CollegeHumor's then-CEO, Rich Cusick, announced the service as a "TV-MA version of CollegeHumor" that would "allow us to double down our investment into premium original content, resulting in a bigger, better, badder CollegeHumor."[8][9] Dropout was also pitched as a way to allow fans to dive deeper into pre-established popular characters and shows from CollegeHumor's YouTube channel.[8] CollegeHumor's Chief Creative Officer, Sam Reich, also claimed that the founding of Dropout was in response to difficulty in receiving advertising dollars on traditional media platforms for mature content.[10] At launch, Dropout announced a mix of scripted and unscripted content, as well as digital comics and chat-story content and a subscriber-only Discord.[9]
Dropout utilizes CollegeHumor spinoff Vimeo as its hosting service.[11] 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 and chat stories were also integrated into the app.[12]
Independent ownership
Dropout CEO Sam Reich acquired a majority interest in the service in 2020.
After launch, Dropout saw that the unscripted and less expensive content both acquired and retained viewers, while more expensive and scripted shows neither acquired nor retained viewers, with the limited exception of WTF 101.[2]Dimension 20 became the most popular show on the platform, followed by Um, Actually and Cartoon Hell.[2]Game Changer, hosted by Reich, would also become a success upon launch in 2019.[2] A year after Dropout's launch, the service had between 75,000 and 100,000 subscribers.[14] Dropout planned to release a new original title per month in 2019, according to Sam Reich.[9][15] However, the programming slate did not allow Dropout to pivot quickly enough away from scripted content and it was still not profitable by the end of 2019; Reich later noted that "we had a writer's room full of scripted comedy writers. All of us were sort of having to pivot to think about something that wasn't our primary skill set."[16][17] Because Dropout was in the middle of a $30million subscription investment, the streamer was on track to "lose" another $10million by the end of 2019 before it would be profitable.[17][2]
In January of 2020, IAC announced it had ceased financing CollegeHumor, leading to the layoff of over 100 employees.[4][18] IAC unsuccessfully attempted to sell CollegeHumor to numerous studios and entertainment companies at this time, reportedly seeking up to $100million for the company.[7][19][20] However, IAC ultimately sold CollegeHumor to then Chief Creative Officer Reich in 2020, who then transitioned to CEO.[13] IAC still has a minority stake in Dropout.[4] The deal was finalized in March 2020.[7] 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 beginning of 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.[21] 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.[22]
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.[23][24][25]
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".[26] Dropout also pays performers to audition.[7] Dropout's overall subscriber count almost doubled during 2023.[25]
Dropout officially retired all CollegeHumor branding in September 2023.[27] Later that year, Dropout shared its profit with its employees and other workers.[28][25][7]
As of June2024[update], Dropout earns around 80–85% of its revenue via subscriptions.[7]
Service and availability
Dropout is available worldwide; as of 2024[update] around 60% of subscribers were in the United States.[28]
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.[29]As of 4January2022[update], 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.[30] 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.[31]
In December 2018, visitors to the service spent on average 31 minutes per visit, and visited on average 3.5 times per week.[12] 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; Reich said in June 2024 that the statistic is continuing to increase.[25][7]
In August 2019, CollegeHumor also began to partner with Facebook to offer Dropout content via paid video subscriptions on Facebook's platform.[32]
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, later expanded to non-subscribers as well, until its closure on May 26, 2024. Dropout also has a store which sells merchandise (such as shirts, stickers, and mugs) related to shows on the platform.[33][34]
Shows on Dropout are usually released fortnightly, a schedule used more often for podcasts than for television.[25]
Dropout planned to release a new original title per month in 2019, according to Sam Reich.[9][39]
By 2020, the service had retired all scripted shows in favor of cheaper and more successful unscripted content.[27]
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 saw new shows released throughout 2024, including Smartypants, Thousandaires, Dropout Presents, Monét's Slumber Party, Gastronauts, and Nobody Asked.[40][41][42][38]
Smartypants was renewed for a 15-episode second season in December 2024, to air in early 2025.[36]
An animated series in which stars Caldwell Tanner and Nathan Yaffe draw cartoons based on suggestions. Based on the YouTube channel Drawfee, originally hosted by Tanner and Yaffe.
CH Media, doing business as Dropout, is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles which produces content for release on its streaming service, Dropout, and on YouTube. It was originally founded as the CollegeHumor website, created by Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen in 1999, and was owned by InterActiveCorp (IAC) from 2006 until January 2020, when IAC withdrew funding and the website shut down. The current CEO of CH Media is Sam Reich, a veteran performer and former Chief Creative Officer of CollegeHumor, who purchased the company in 2020 from IAC. In September 2023, the company formally dropped the CollegeHumor branding in favor of its Dropout branding, which originated with its streaming service.
Vimeo, Inc. is an American video hosting, sharing, and services provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as a service (SaaS). They derive revenue by providing subscription plans for businesses and content creators. Vimeo provides its subscribers with tools for video creation, editing, and broadcasting, enterprise software solutions, as well as the means for video professionals to connect with clients and other professionals. As of December 2021, the site has 260 million users, with around 1.6 million subscribers to its services.
Jake and Amir is an American comedy duo made up of podcasters and former CollegeHumor writers Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld. The duo came into prominence in 2007 when they began writing and starring in the web series Jake and Amir. The program would later be picked up and produced by CollegeHumor. It portrays humorous versions of Jake and Amir, where Jake is usually depicted as a sensible "regular guy" and Amir as his annoying co-worker who engages in bizarre and sometimes surreal hijinks which involuntarily involve Jake, much to his chagrin.
The CollegeHumor Show is an American sitcom that premiered on MTV on February 8, 2009 and also aired on MuchMusic. The show was a scripted sitcom with sketch comedy elements written by, and starring, nine CollegeHumor editorial staff members, who play fictionalized versions of themselves. The show was an adaptation of the style of the long-running Hardly Working short film series created for the CollegeHumor site, made more suitable for the longer, televised format.
Bad Internet is an American series that premiered on May 25, 2016, on YouTube Premium. It is produced by CollegeHumor's Los Angeles-based production studio Big Breakfast. The first season contains ten episodes, with only the first—"Which of the 'Friends' are You?"—available to view on YouTube without a YouTube Premium subscription. As of November 2021, it has also been released on Dropout, CollegeHumor's streaming platform. The series was inspired by Charlie Brooker's technology-centered anthology TV show Black Mirror. Sam Reich, CollegeHumor's head of video, said that in creating the series, he wanted to do a project that was both ambitious and true to CollegeHumor's slacker humor heritage. Reich also told Mashable that Bad Internet was "a series built for the Internet."
FuboTV Inc., operating as FuboTV or Fubo, is an American streaming television service serving customers in Canada, Spain, and the United States and based in Midtown Manhattan. The network focuses primarily on channels that distribute live sports. Depending on the country it is accessed in, channels offered by Fubo include access to the Premier League, NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, CPL, and international football, as well as news, network television series, and movies.
Samuel Dalton Reich is an American media executive, writer, producer, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his work with Dropout, of which he is now the CEO, including hosting the series Game Changer and its spin-off Make Some Noise, as well as his work on TruTV's Adam Ruins Everything.
Siobhan Thompson is a British-American comedian and writer. She is known for her work on the CollegeHumor Originals web series and for her roles on Dropout's Dimension 20. She has appeared in other programmes such as Adam Ruins Everything and Broad City. She was also a staff writer for Adult Swim's Rick and Morty and as of 2024 a writer on Krapopolis.
Emily Joanne Axford is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is best known for her various roles in CollegeHumor videos, her role as Emily on the truTV comedy Adam Ruins Everything, and for her role on the Pop original Hot Date.
Apple TV+ is an American subscription OTT streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced during the Apple Special Event of March 2019, where entertainers from Apple TV+ projects appeared onstage, including Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg. The service can be accessed through Apple's website and through the Apple TV app, which has gradually become available on many Apple devices and some major competing digital media players, including some smart TV models and video-game consoles.
Peacock is an American over-the-top subscription streaming service owned and operated by Peacock TV, LLC, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal Media Group. Named after the NBC logo, the service launched on July 15, 2020.
Dimension 20 is a tabletop role-playing game show produced by and broadcast on Dropout, and created and generally hosted by Brennan Lee Mulligan as the show's regular Dungeon Master. Most of the games use Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Long seasons, featuring a core cast of players in seventeen or more episodes, are interspersed with shorter side quests, featuring a rotating cast in ten or fewer episodes.
Brennan Lee Mulligan is an American comedian, actor, writer, and gamemaster. He often works with Dropout as a writer, performer, and producer, and he is the creator and regular gamemaster for its Dungeons & Dragons-based actual play web series Dimension20. He also wrote the superhero webcomic Strong Female Protagonist alongside artist Molly Ostertag.
Actual play, also called live play, is a genre of podcast or web show in which people play tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) for an audience. Actual play often encompasses in-character interactions between players, storytelling from the gamemaster, and out-of-character engagements such as dice rolls and discussion of game mechanics. The genre emerged in the early 2000s and became more popular throughout the decade, particularly with the 2015 debut of Critical Role, an actual play webseries featuring professional voice actors.
Zachery Lou Wilson is an American actor, writer, and comedian. He is best known for his work as a writer and his roles on actual play anthology web series Dimension 20 and the creator-owned podcast Worlds Beyond Number. He is also known for being the on-air announcer for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and his roles on American Vandal, The King of Staten Island, and The Guest Book.
Game Changer is an American comedy panel game show on Dropout created and hosted by Sam Reich which started in 2019. 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. The show has been renewed for a seventh season.
Make Some Noise is an American improvisational comedy television show hosted by Sam Reich and released fortnightly on SVOD service Dropout.
Ally Beardsley is an American actor and comedian. They are best known for their roles in various Dropout productions, such as CollegeHumor Originals, Game Changer, and Total Forgiveness. They are also known for their roles in Dropout's Dungeons & Dragons actual play Dimension 20, where they have played a variety of LGBTQ+ characters.
Rekha Shankar is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her writing and performing work with Dropout.
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