Those of us in fandom who follow TV biz trends and ratings, may find these of interest: Canadian producer Guinevere Orvis writes about how social networking is effecting TV viewing habits and fandoms, and mentions this tidbit (bold case mine):
Broadcasters can address distribution control in a different way: by actively engaging in it themselves and fostering fan involvement. Consider the case of when Ron Moore started writing on the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA blog. The Sci Fi Channel expected 100,000 visitors in the first six months and instead they got 6 million. It’s a great example of how a television producer embraced the social space and it resonated explosively with his fans and their friends. I’m glad that my industry seems to be more forward thinking about the online space than the music industry has been.
Meanwhile, over at The Hollywood Reporter, this quote provides a possible answer to fandom’s constant question: can’t the networks make money feeding us digital content? (bold case mine)
Since few under 30 and virtually no one under 18 is watching scheduled television per se, forward-thinking nets are making their key shows available on as many platforms and under as many different price models as they can dream up.
"Digital is not yet the tail that wags the dog, but it's sure making the dog bark," is how one network exec described it. He also said it will become clearer over the next six to nine months just how big a stream these new ancillaries have become, if for no other reason because the labor talks will demand it.
Every network has a different tilt -- price points, exclusivities, ad avails, revenue splits -- when it comes to putting their shows online. But all of them are starting to see the pennies add up.
Several hundred million dollars in 2008 at each of the networks, this exec hazarded.
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