In 2013, The Onion posted an artice entitled “Overstock.com Announces Plans To Develop Original Programming.” This was, of course, hilarious and silly. Why would Overstock.com (or, as they once attempted to rebrand, O.co) create streaming content? Oh, The Onion, you crazy.
This week, Overstock.com announced plans to develop original programming. The Onion was not involved in the announcement. It was real. It’s actually happening.
In the spirit of Amazon, which took home two Golden Globes for its show Transparent, Overstock.com will launch its own streaming service with original content.
“It’s kind of ironic,” Overstock President Stormy Simon told The Huffington Post on Wednesday. Simon said someone approached her after Tuesday’s press conference to remind her of the 2013 article. She hadn’t remembered the story, but the president of The Onion texted her after Tuesday’s announcement. “It’s hysterical,” she said. “Reading it today, I thought, ‘This looks like a press release!'”
Overstock’s new service will be part of Overstock’s membership program, Club O. For $19.95 per year, a Club O membership gets you extra discounts, free shipping, special deals at restaurants and more. Membership is free for students, first responders and military personnel.
“We think this makes perfect sense for us to get into this business,” [CEO Patrick] Byrne said.
Overstock.com did not announce its upcoming titles, but according to The Onion, offerings will include a sixth season of the sitcom Piven.
Source: HuffPo
