Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Web Trials Lead to TV Shows

Another television program that was first shown online has now been added to the cable lineup. Mr. Meaty, a show about workers at a fast food chain, is now a regular on Nickelodeon, according to Media
Life. Vegetarians are protesting the show, which features serving seal as a meal, but the ratings are strong.

This is the second instance I can think of where a web trial has led to a TV show, and I would expect that more networks will give shows a trial run before putting it on the schedule. Brilliant But Cancelled, which helped to revive one show, now has a death watch contest where viewers guess which show is next on the chopping block.

"Smith" was the first show to get the boot this year after just a few weeks, and more are on the way.

Going directly to online viewers instead of trusting the braintrust at the networks to give the go ahead for a prospective show seems like acost-effective decision. The networks produce dozens of pilots each year that are never aired, so why not have a contest (ala American Idol) where viewers vote for the shows that will make the cut? They could get some advertising revenue by streaming online, build interest in the shows, and netizens would compete to make sure their shows survive. Are you reading this CW?

Posted By John Gartner at 10:36 AM
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