Yahoo has just announced that it will not be moving forward with the live EDM DJ competition show it had previously planned with Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment. Only days ago, Yahoo had confirmed the show would be airing as previously announced.
Last Oct. 28, Yahoo made headlines when it stated that it would be taking a $42 million loss on the three scripted comedies it has been producing and airing online as part of its original program streaming initiative. That announcement covered two original sitcoms and "Community", which the company famously picked up after it was cancelled by NBC after 5 seasons. Yahoo also announced that it would not be moving forward with another planned new sitcom, "The Pursuit", which was positioned as a modern day version of "Friends".
During that announcement, the company made clear that it had every intention of continuing its plans to air a new EDM style DJ competition show early next year. The show was a partnership with Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment, and the world's most famous talent show judge had showed up live in person at Yahoo's April upfronts to promote it.
Now, it looks like Yahoo has suddenly reversed course on the show and will not be airing it at all. No specific reason has been given, though it appears as if it's part of a larger shift in strategy away from producing expensive original content on the platform.
It's possible, however, that the show was axed for other reasons. Cowell's "X Factor" singing competition show, a huge long-running hit in his UK home territory, has experienced a fast, precipitous ratings drop this year, after Cowell made significant changes to the hosts and judging panels. The drop parallels what's occurred with "American Idol" in the U.S., which has been cancelled after this year's final farewell season. Yahoo execs may be concerned that Cowell has lost his touch, and don't want to associate themselves with what some view as a sinking ship.
The other reason could be that some members of the EDM community have been concerned that Cowell's take on their music scene will be a whitewashed, commercialized version of what they really represent, and therefore Cowell's attempt to jump on the latest music trend bandwagon could backfire with fans of the genre. In any case, Syco will probably look for another platform on which to air the project as opposed to canning it altogether.
