The Onion Totally Predicted Overstock’s Streaming Service News

Life imitated The Onion to an eerie degree this week when Overstock.com announced it was launching a streaming video service. It was just over one year ago that The Onion published an article with this headline: “Overstock.com Announces Plans To Develop Original Programming.”

“We think this makes perfect sense for us to get into this business,” Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne said during a very real press conference on Wednesday, revealing the site’s plan to develop and acquire original programming à la Netflix and Amazon. “We have a deep understanding of our customers [and] know what they’re looking for.”

“We’re incredibly excited to finally enter the arena of producing high-quality original entertainment, and we look forward to creating some great new comedy, drama, and children’s series that will make Overstock.com a true player in the original programming game,” Overstock’s fictional vice president of original programming Daniel Schulte told The Onion in 2013.

Asked about the odd parallel by The Huffington Post, Overstock President Stormy Simon admitted, “It’s kind of ironic.” She said she didn’t remember reading the piece when it came out but that the president of The Onion texted her about it following the announcement.

“It’s hysterical,” she said. “Reading it today, I thought, ‘This looks like a press release!'”

[h/t Mike Byhoff]
[Photo via screengrab]

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