Does Braun have the brains to woo Hollywood?

Yahoo yesterday hired Lloyd Braun, a former ABC TV executive who helped develop shows such as "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," and "According to Jim." Add "The Sopranos" to the list as well during his previous gig at production house Brillstein-Grey.

CEO Terry Semel must be celebrating over this appointment. The former Warner Bros. head has long harbored fantasies of turning Yahoo into an online cable company that will host original content from outside producers. Hollywood does the work, Yahoo offers it exclusively. Braun should be familiar with this arrangement, given The Sopranos' runaway success on HBO.

I'd like to think this is significant but, like all reporters, I'm skeptical. Online entertainment is a victim of irony. Creativity continues to churn out great content, such as the JibJab cartoon mocking the presidential election. But nobody has figured out a way to make a business out of it. Do you sell advertising? Do you charge subscriptions?

Entertainment has a home on the Web, and the growing penetration of broadband connections into the home is a great trend. Braun's got his work cut out for him. We'll see if Hollywood plays nice.

Check out my news analysis on Braun due later today or early tomorrow.