How do webisodes work?

A

alveraz

Veteran
Does anyone have experience with webisodes or an online series?

I've heard some great things about the profitibility with some series' out there. Can anyone point me to some sites that have a series that is doing well? I'd like to know how they charge and their whole business plan really. What are your guys' thoughts on webisodes and starting an online series?

I have a doc that we're considering breaking up for a producer that wants to use it for an online series. I meet them next week to discuss it, I'd like to go into the meeting with a grasp on how it all works.

Thanks!
 
Small bump.

I'd put sponsors ads on the corner of a low quality version of the episode. In a smaller resolution, released online for free. If they want to see the complete episode in high quality with no ads & faster buffering time. They have to register on the site & / or pay 99c for an episode, with this they'd get fullscreen to.

That's my opinion on what I'd do.

Not sure if that helps, but it's a plan I got for If I ever make one.
 
alveraz said:
Does anyone have experience with webisodes or an online series?
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I've been producing a few online series for the past year and a half or so.
You can check them out in my signature if you're interested.

I've heard some great things about the profitibility with some series' out there. Can anyone point me to some sites that have a series that is doing well? I'd like to know how they charge and their whole business plan really. What are your guys' thoughts on webisodes and starting an online series?
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Well, you're asking a tough question and honestly that's exactly what everyone out there is still trying to figure out right now. Online video is where online publishing was about 10 years ago. We're seeing online viewing really become commonplace just now, and no one really knows how it's going to shake out. Advertisers are all paying attention - but there are really no set standards yet (as there are with TV or Print advertising) so while the money is out there, it's not being spent quite as readily as it probably will in the near future.

So - that all depends on what you mean by 'doing well.'
If doing well means profitability - I don't think anyone has any idea (other than the people working on the series) what is really bringing in money and what is not.

If 'doing well' simply means viewership then you might want to check out a few sites like Revision3, NextNewNetworks, OnNetworks, along with pretty much anything you can find in the iTunes podcast library.

At the moment it pretty much seems that unless you have something that has immediate demand built into it payable downloads are definitely not the way to go.
People don't want to pay to watch anything, and we've gotten accustomed to watching what we want when we want for free. The main sources of revenue at the moment are coming from advertising - either through direct sponsorship or through sites that tag your videos with ads and offer a revenue sharing model (YouTube started up a revshare aspect to their site not too long ago, Revver does the same thing).

I have a doc that we're considering breaking up for a producer that wants to use it for an online series. I meet them next week to discuss it, I'd like to go into the meeting with a grasp on how it all works.
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Well, you're starting out in the right direction with a doc in my opinion - the market for fiction work online is still pretty iffy. Nonfiction however seems to be an easier nut to crack at the moment. My two cents is to find sites that offer you both hosting and revshare through advertising. I personally wouldn't bother in this day and age to set up your own site and try to get people to go there to watch your stuff. Without traffic your show will die a quick death - go to where the people are and take your show to them. That's at least one hurdle out of the way.
 
Great advice Luis. I too am starting up a webseries. I feel that with many people going from TV to the internet, that online entertainment is where the future lies. This can be debatable, but what's not debatable are the hours people spend online. At the same time, where the future lies is with free content. It's unfortunate, but clearly advertisements are the way to go.

I'm just making a web series for the sake of a web series though, for the fun. Not for profit.

As for people that have made something off of web series? I'm not sure. I do know that We Need Girlfriends got picked up to be a Television show. Aside from that haven't heard much else.
 
As Luis said, making money w/video on the internet right now is much like the western expansion in the US over a century ago. Lots of people saw opportunity in the wild west, but most of them just ended up dead.:evil:

The way to reliably make money is still a mystery people are trying to solve. Stage 6 buckled, Revver is in trouble and looking for a buyer... If your content goes viral that's a huge boon, but that's akin to having your business model set around winning the lottery. Great if it happens, but not very likely. There is an entire generation growing up where "internet" is synonymous with "free" and they don't like commercials either so that really leaves content generators in a bind.

Scott Kirsner has a great blog called Cinematech that talks mainly about this type of stuff. I'd strongly suggest checking it out.


-A
 
I've also played with the idea of doing a webseries and have always wondered what a series on myspace, like what is that one... Roomates, get paid to advertise. I know a guy that is making one and they get money for product placement but I don't know how much they actually get. I'd personally be a little hesitant to do product placement but if it was subtle (and not Return of the Killer Tomatoes! or Austin Powers 3) then maybe i'd go for it.

Another way to make money might be by selling products. I know homestarrunner makes there money from selling t shirts, cds, and what not.

I wonder if someone could chime in that actually get's paid advertising for their webseries and tell us how it works for them.:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
jeremytuttle said:
I wonder if someone could chime in that actually get's paid advertising for their webseries and tell us how it works for them.:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
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I can tell you that our series were commissioned by OnNetworks.
We have a contract with them per season (12 episodes per season per show) which gives us an advance on the show plus a percentage of revenue generated, with additional percentages on ancillary revenue and rights and a few other things.

But that is just their model - like it was said above, online entertainment is very much the Wild West right now. No rules, no order, everyone wants a piece of it - and eventually we'll have order out of chaos. I've had people offer us everything from flat fee only to no money upfront with only revenue sharing. Another thing to look out for is not only the revenue model, but the rights issue - companies vary wildly in how they approach copyright and ownership of content created/submitted.

Always read the fine print - and always assume the worst.
That's my advice.
:)
 
I just came back from Edmonton doing a greenscreen shoot with our Red One for a tv pilot with Leslie Nielson as the host. The company with the greenscreen studio made a large chunk of their revenue by doing a daily online newscast for the enery news and does the website as well.

This little startup company already has 42 employees and their own building. There's nothing like being right smack in the middle of the oil patch.

If you have the right business model then there is money to be made. Miss the mark and you'll go broke quick.
 
Great info Luis, thanks! I watched some of your webisodes and I really liked the Stump the Chef, great stuff. Random question, does OnNetworks not allow Credits?
 
jeremytuttle said:
Random question, does OnNetworks not allow Credits?
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The credits are on the actual site (which makes it a bit annoying when the show is embedded on ohter sites). But its the same with VOD distribution too (with them at least). Lack of credits at the end keeps file sizes down, videos shorter, and the most important reason is that it increases the probability that people will see at least some of any post roll advertising. Otherwise most people would cut the shows off at the closing credits.
 
I'd like to be a little bit of a b@stard and resurrect this thread if possible.

Is there anyone out there at this time still debating - or going through the process of making an Internet Series?
 
Ki-Ki said:
I'd like to be a little bit of a b@stard and resurrect this thread if possible.

Is there anyone out there at this time still debating - or going through the process of making an Internet Series?
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sort of. i'm in the process of developing a Cinema ARG which will include webisode elements.
 
I'd love to move onto a new one after this, but it's got such a rare concept that's never been tried on a serious scale. I'd love to try and get money for it, but no idea. I think it's not possible to.
 
To revive a dead horse.....

Wondering if much has changed in the business model for web series. They seem to have popped up like crazy the last 2 years. Wondering if the dust has settled and their are profitable business models?
 
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