Moving on to a different area
Hi everyone, now that I've shifted jobs from a web-series-oriented company to one focused on general content, I will not have time to write in this blog anymore. I hope what is in here keeps helping you, and if you want to contribute I will give you access to post your own articles here. Just drop me a line and I'll take care of it. Meanwhile, I am starting a new blog on analytics, metrics and business intelligence at metrics.posterous.com.Most interesting posts in this blog:Forecast the value of your web series, rev. 2
How to prep your web series for international distribution
Negotiation
A discussion with Daniel Morawek
Web series in depth: Other uses of, and distribution platforms for, web series
Web series in depth: competitors and threats to web series
Web series in depth: strengths and weaknesses of web series
Web series in depth: The perceived value of web series
Web series value curve: 5 shortcomings of web series
The Basics
[Review] - Negotiation - Getting to Yes
A few months ago I recommended that anyone involved in distribution should read a book or two on negotiation. Specifically, I advised reading the now-classic Getting to yes by Fisher, Ury and Patton. Here is a brief overview of the book.
When negotiating, always separate people from problem and focus on interests rather than positions. That is, don't get locked into a mentality of "I'm defending my castle", instead look for common interests you and your counterpart may have (e.g. both want to close a deal). Invent options for mutual gain instead of focusing only on what you alone can gain.
Use objective criteria to decide if a deal is good or not; rely on external sources and previous cases to negotiate length of a license, price, etc.
Always have an alternative so you know the value of your proposition and so that you can back away calmly; that way you can avoid being cornered. Learn how to identify dirty tricks and call them if your counterpart starts using them (the book provides some nice examples).
Many people find that this book is a great foundation for negotiators but see it as too passive and even too friendly. If you think this is the case, please leave a comment with your own thoughts and recommendations.
[Support the author! buy the book through this link: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In]
When web series and prime-time TV exchange places
With the news that Roku has opened another way for web series to stream to TVs, I am reminded of the strange phenomenon taking place between prime-time shows and their online "rivals."
You see, whereas TV shows and movies have to a degree moved onto the small screens of laptops and mobile phones, web series have been moving the other way around. It's only natural to expand beyond your current technological limits, but what is happening seems more like fish growing legs and mice growing fins. I would say we are still a couple of years away from finding that mutation, that hybrid, that can survive properly in the middle. I will not be surprised if at that time we also discover some legged-fish who cannot swim anymore, and swimming mice unable to breat out of the water.
Repost: RPG Gaming Series ‘GOLD’ Rolls Its Own Game
Here's a creative way to monetise through merchandise: sell your own tabletop game. The team behind GOLD are now trying to monetise their series via DVD and the above mentioned game, and starting preproduction on their second season.
Repost: Funny or Die is going to Youtube, TV, and Movie theaters
San Francisco - Funny or Die, the Web comedy studio backed by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, plans to launch its own YouTube (NASD: GOOG) channel next month, COO Mitch Galbraith said at Digital Media Wire's Digital Media Conference West in San Francisco, NewTeeVee reported. The company, which had previously operated a standalone site with an embeddable player, also has plans to produce a TV show for HBO and a feature film.via dmwmedia.com
It's quite unexpected, but it makes sense that at some point cross-media integration for Funny or Die would move to TV and the silver screen. The more interesting part is that, from what I understand, FoD are not really producers, just aggregators. Their opening up for Youtube means that either they finally reached a point at which they would earn more revenues through super-distribution, or they want to push web material as advertisement for more profitable TV/Movie content.
Hulu turning to paid content, exec says
Hulu turning to paid content, exec says
Posted on October 22, 2009
Filed Under HuluHulu has paid content in its near future, News Corp. deputy chairman Chase Carey says.
The popular online video site that’s prized for its free streams of TV shows “needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business,” Carey told a broadcasting conference Oct. 22.
News Corp. owns Hulu along with NBC Universal and Disney.
He was quoted on Hulu’s future by Broadcasting & Cable, which sponsored the conference.
Carey predicted some paid content would show up on Hulu in 2010, but admitted he’d only sat in on one of its board meetings. He said an outright firewall didn’t make sense, but charging for specialty video such as TV previews did.
“I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of (News Corp.’s) content,” Carey said. “I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value.”
It seems hybrid models have a greater chance of success than standard models. It's good that someone's taking the dive, especially someone big. Web series distribution and pricing (free) through Hulu should not be affected, however, since nowadays they serve only as promotional material for brands, directors, or production companies. The only programs that will get locked behind a payment wall will be meant for television and film.
A discussion with Daniel Morawek
Update: If you read the google translation, please don't think we are discussing weapons. Google believes 'Bereta' is the translation for 'Webserien', which it clearly isn't.Of course, it makes the whole thing sound funnier.
Daniel Morawek from Metropolog and I held a short epistolary conversation about web series, their present situation in Germany, and their possible future development. He kindly translated everything from broken German and English to proper German and posted it at the following address: http://metropolog.de/2009/10/12/zukunft-der-webserie/
If you don't understand German, you can use the following Google translation link: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmetropolog.de%2F2009%2F10%2F12%2Fzukunft-der-webserie%2F&sl=&tl=en
‘Woke Up Dead’ and publishing windows
"Woke up dead" by Electric Farms--and starring Jon Heder--will be airing soon online. In an interview by Tubefilter, Stan Rogow (producer at Electric Farm) says the show will be released in clumps. He also adds the following regarding publication windows and feedback they got from Afterworld fans:
“99% preferred having a clump of episodes, but they still wanted regular content, like a clump every day[.] The answer is that there are different people that want to consume it in different ways, so we try to allow that to happen.”
Small innovations like this one make my day.
Webseries on Netflix
According to Tubefilter, Netflix is jumping on the web series bandwagon and producing their own Halloween horror series _Splatter_. This strengthens the argument that web series stand better chances of being produced and distributed as different platforms seek to distinguish themselves from the competition through exclusive content.
Links:
Tubefilter http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TubefilterNews/~3/LhPgMZoXCiQ/
Trailer http://splatter.netflix.com/
Web series in depth: Other uses of, and distribution platforms for, web series
In view of the monetization problem faced online, imaginative solutions have arisen to earn a profit on the production and distribution of “web-only” material. Starz uses web series to pilot shows and gauge their future success. Web series that build audiences are used by Disney and Sony launch movies and DVDs. Some web series have found their way into in-flight entertainment, bit torrenting sites, and the PMP market (Zune, iPod).
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