The Harper’s Island Experiment

There’s no question that the internet, VOD, TiVo and their brethren are changing how we consume our “TV” entertainment.  While some in the industry struggle vainly to bolster the existing ways of doing business, there are some signs of experimentation.

One such example of minor experimenting is ABC’s upcoming show “Harper’s Island.”  In addition to being made in conjunction with Eqal, the team behind LonelyGirl15, meaning significant additional online content, there is another twist ABC hopes will draw in viewers.

Here’s how TVSquad puts it:

I’ve been a little antsy about getting involved in yet another continuing drama (and one that could be canceled at anytime), but this was filmed and is being marketed as a limited-run series. Somewhere between a mini-series and a regular season, and that makes me feel a little better about taking the time to watch it.

The old business model for TV said that real money doesn’t arrive until you complete 100+ episodes and can go into syndication.  While this might still be true for the moment, I think that model is being significantly disrupted.  It seems that fewer and fewer series have the legs or the faith of an audience to last those four seasons and unless the episodes can stand alone (CSI, et. al.) then syndication can prove difficult.

By making a one-season-and-done series there is not only more possibility of an audience sticking around until the definitive end (assuming the show is any good) but there are lots of ways to gain new viewers online over time.

I’ll certainly be watching the numbers on “Harper’s Ferry” but I’m still not sure I can commit to watching the actual show…

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ABCFamily.com Comes Up with an “Alibi”

Sometime I wonder if I post things just to come up with a Variety-speak headline.

Anyhow, just watched episode one of “My Alibi” on ABCFamily.com (see below).  This was a pick-up for ABC of an existing show from Take180 which tries to elicit audience participation in the form of cliffhangers with resolutions that can be voted on.

The production value is decent and the casting of a 90210-alum can’t hurt but I am not convinced that this sort of simplistic interaction is going to be the hook for a webseries aimed at teens and tweens (or anyone else, really).  Primarily, these interactions tend to hurt the actual story since so many alternatives must be conceived and, at times, produced, even if they aren’t the most satisfying or dramatic direction, due to fan interferance.

Instead, webseries need to find more innovative and immersive ways to get audiences involved OR create a passive story that is good enough to stand on its own.  “MyAlibi” falls into a bit of an unfortunate gap between these two solutions.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.781261&w=425&h=350&fv=]

Quick Little Boxee Update

It has now been over a month living cable-free and I am loving it.  Not only am I saving money and watching far less “bad” TV – I define “bad” TV as that stuff you watch when you are just idly flipping through the channels – but I have gotten to really experience Boxee.

While there are now all sorts of ways to watch TV on your computer, I find Boxee continues to be the most comprehensive.  Now, with the addition of the ABC web-content it is just that much better.

I think my favorite part is that I can navigate it almost entirely via my little Apple remote while sitting back in bed.

Even if you are still paying for cable, go download Boxee and get a pretty good taste of the future.  My guess is that you will quickly begin to wonder just why you are still paying for cable.

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How Many Video Portals Does It Take To Screw In A Lightbulb?

Image by The Rocketeer via Flickr

The NYT has a good look at the ever-growing number of sites on the web offering you, the viewer, the chance to watch high-quality programming and wonders if they are all just a flash in the pan, much like the portals of yore:

“Now it feels like the same thing is happening with Internet video. As good television programming has become more available to online providers over the last year or two, new video sites have been popping up faster than “Law and Order” reruns. And as with the portals, big companies as well as start-ups are trying to get into the game.”

As I mentioned yesterday when I begged for an invite to Boxee (got one, too! thanks Boxee!), there is a big question as to whether or not any of these efforts will be around this time next year.

The biggest problem they all face is that they all offer the same basic content.  Now that the TV networks have decided to set a vast majority of their shows free via syndication, embedding and the like, it no longer takes a genius to find last weeks “Grey’s Anatomy” online.

Basically, everyone is just a rebroadcaster of some sort and none of them own the core product – the shows.

I think that the idea of everything on demand and on one screen is where we are headed, it’s just a question of time.