Study: Interactive Web series more successful

DIGITAL: Social media used to attract viewers, advertisers

By Jennifer Netherby -- Video Business, 5/6/2009

MAY 6 | DIGITAL: What do top Internet video series The Guild, Diggnation, The Gap Year and Sofia’s Diary all have in common? They use social media to engage their audiences, making the viewing experience more interactive and luring in viewers and advertisers, according to a new case study, “WeVision: The Four Steps to Online Media Success,” from digital media research company Futurescape.

“Digital audiences can be remarkably generous to shows that reach out and involve them. They are prepared to contribute ideas, give practical support and even donate money to production costs,” said Futurescape co-founder Özlem Tunçil of the report. “Web TV shows are a laboratory where the hottest innovation is taking place, so it’s where to look for the principles of entertaining the new digital audience.”

Futurescape looked at 50 original series produced for the Internet in different regions of the world and chose to follow six that had attracted major sponsors and had run for more than one season to understand what they did right.

Included in the study is The Guild, a series about the misadventures of online gamers produced by actress Felicia Day, who had a role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and in Buffy creator Joss Whedon’s wildly successful online series Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. In its first season, The Guild attracted millions of viewers who supported the show through PayPal donations. Microsoft signed a distribution deal for the second season, putting the show on MSN, Zune and Xbox Live. Then Sprint signed on as a sponsor. Both signed The Guild to a third season this week. The show also is available on DVD through Amazon’s CreateSpace DVD-on-demand service and is sold as a download through Amazon.

Other shows included in the survey were:

• Diggnation, a tech and pop culture talk show based on news recommendation site Digg.com. Sponsors include Michelob and IBM.

• Sofia’s Diary, a teen drama licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. Sponsors include Estee Lauder and Unilever.

• The Gap Year, a British reality show from Endemol and social networking site Bebo that follows backpackers as they travel the world. Sponsors include Colgate and Herbal Essences.

• Orange Unlit, a concert series about singer-songwriter Jont, sponsored by mobile operator Orange.

• Frankmusik, a reality show following pop star hopeful Frankmusik on his U.S. tour, sponsored by BlackBerry.

Futurescape found that the shows attracted advertisers and viewers because they are made for and with their viewers.