The end of TV - not really

There is a new fad for TV - TV that isn't on your television at all but made specifically for your computer. I'm not talking about some hacks on YouTube but professionally done done programs with actual budgets and staff and actors. Some television series have been posting little webisodes for a while now, complimenting their programs and gaining interaction on their websides. But I'm talking about something new.

The internet provides the ability to reach every niche culture out there without worrying about ratings, network executives, or FCC censorship for that matter. Of course it still all comes down to whether it turns a profit or not, but the internet has allowed for unique programming that you won't find even on cable because it isn't the ideal demographic or doesn't fit into a primetime schedule.

Aside from the reasons above, the internet also has an advantage over traditional TV in time. A new TV series may have only a few weeks to catch on with viewers before it gets moved, retooled, or outright cancelled. There are only so many time slots available on the schedule and networks can't waste time with something that looks like a loser. The internet can keep a show posted for as long as they like for virtually no cost except server space. Word of mouth may take some time to spread, but as people catch on to a new program, they don't have to worry about not knowing what is going on - they can start watching from the beginning.

Of course content providers don't have to keep posting stuff for free. They may become subscription based, or they may wait until they complete a season and then release it on DVD. The first site that comes to mind is Red Vs. Blue. It is designed using the video Halo and records player movements and has speech dubbed in. Of course it makes it easy when everyone wears helmets so there is no need to animate lip movement. It's a great series - season 5 is to come out on DVD - and has gained not only approval but sponsorship by Microsoft, the makers of Halo.
Another interesting web project just wrapped up it's first season.

Lonelygirl15 began as a series of YouTube video blogs. Eventually people started wondering if it was real or an interesting plug for an upcoming movie or some other project. It turned out neither was the case. The confessions of a home-schooled 16 year old were really staged by a 19 yr old, but Hollywood wasn't behind it. Instead a couple of people were experimenting with it as new form of online story telling. The truth being revealed, the clips continued to be popular and 260 "episodes" have been published so far. There are even corporate sponsors involved now and the cast has expanded as well as the number of production people.

Of course both of these web TV successes were part good timing, part luck, and everybody originally involved just started out doing it for fun. There is at least one site that is professionally done from the start and is meant exclusively for the web. Sanctuary For All is a new sci-fi show done entirely for an online audience. Starring is Amanda Tapping of Stargate SG-1 fame. To date, six episodes have been posted, and the show already holds the Guinness World Record for most expensive web episode. The show is done entirely with computer graphics with actors filming everything in front of a green screen.

So, does this mean that we're going to be ditching our TV's anytime soon? Probably not. Despite considerable increase in online advertising by companies, the big money is still in television. It's going to be that way for a while. But online shows are going to increase rapidly in the future and we are not far from seeing episodes of some shows that weren't quite ready for prime time hit the internet. But just as radio didn't die at the advent of TV, television won't go away because of online programming.