FunnyorDie.com was launched by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay in April and has attracted more than 3.6 million unique visitors. Its first hit, The Landlord, proved that internet audiences could fall in love with a foul-mouthed baby. The video has since been viewed more than 47 million times.

However an obscure Irish comedy sketch video titled "Francis Mc Tank" from the Cork Racing production team in Ireland had been running The Landlord close in recent weeks for the sites "Most Viewed" title. FunnyOrDie has since removed the video clip which had attracted an impressive fan base worldwide.

So why did FunnyOrDie kill the original Francis Mc Tank video? The Francis Mc Tank video had topped over 300,000 views in less than 3 weeks on FunnyOrDie.

Speculation is that FunnyorDie is struggling to grow traffic beyond being a showcase for Ferrell. It is unlikely that he will be able to top Landlord and how much longer is an A-list star willing to dabble online. If he moves on to other things, it will become more difficult for FunnyOrDie.

Many doubt that FunnyOrDie will be able to remain compensation-free; revenue splits for top talent are likely in its future. Representatives for the site are said to be making the rounds to sign promising comics for pay deals.

Skeptics wonder whether FunnyOrDie is coasting on the fumes of "Landlord," characterizing the site as a one-trick pony passing itself off as a well-stocked stable. In the fast-moving world of Web 2.0, FunnyOrDie's strategy already feels anachronistic to some, relying more on one-off celebrity cameos rather than episodic content and emphasizing a singular destination portal as opposed to widespread syndication.

What FunnyOrDie is learning the hard way, noted Scott Roesch, vp and GM of MTV Networks' AtomFilms, is the need to surround a hit video with additional content offerings that keep surfers returning to the site.

"When they didn't have a follow-up of the same drawing power and caliber, their traffic naturally plummeted back to earth," Roesch said. "You can't sustain a business around one hit video."

While it may still be early in the game for FunnyOrDie, its struggle could prove a humbling experience for the collective of powerhouses that joined forces to creatre FunnyOrDie: Sequoia, Ferrell and McKay of shingle Gary Sanchez Productions and CAA.

The Francis Mc Tank video can be viewed on http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f57f090c82