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P2P and TV
Khuffie writes "According to Wired, Warner Bros. Entertainment recently passed on a pilot of a show called Global Frequency. However, due to a leak on bit-torrent the pilot episode has reached thousands of viewers who are clamouring for more, and has given the show a new lease on life. What's more interesting is what the show creator learned. From the article: "It changes the way I'll do my next project," said Rogers. If he owned the full rights, he said, "I would put my pilot out on the internet in a heartbeat. Want five more? Come buy the boxed set." Frankly, I'm all for this method of distribution, as I barely watch 'regular' TV anymore."
Torrent of mentioned show.
We'll make another 6 episodes as long as the actors and the audience can agree on a price for more. We'll stop when they can't agree.
Stephen King tried it. He started a new book and gave the first chapter away for free, putting subsequent chapters up for sale; when enough people bought a chapter he would write & publish the next one (all on-line). It was a dismal failure: the second chapter was bought by few and re-distributed by many; as a result, chapter three was never published. Author and audience couldn't agree on merely chapter 2.
Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
When Family Guy premiered on Fox, it immediately got close to no attention. After a short 4 seasons, the show was terminated. THEN the internet distribution of Family Guy began: Winamp Online TV (saltwaterchimp.com anyone?), torrents, and p2p networks began showing various episodes. The popularity grew and grew as people started buying the DVD sets and renting them from video stores. Fox, in one of their smartest moves, LISTENED to this great attention it was getting, labeled it a late-bloomer, and put it back on the air. Internet distribution actually helped a show get back on the air and help the network get more advertising, etc. who says it can't be done?
The voice of the next generation. "In this tower, in my mind..." Babble - Tower
Doesn't high margin imply high profit?
Nope. If I create a product that costs $10 to manufacture, sell it for $12, but sell 10,000,000 units, then I have made $20,000,000 profit on a 16% margin. On the other hand, if I create a product that costs $6 to manufacture and sell 10,000 unit for $12 a piece, I'd have made $60,000 on a 50% margin. Given the choice, most people would go for the 16% margin because it means more money.
The risk, however, is that you might fail to capture the market and only sell a small number. Any up front costs (which can be considerable in high profit dealings) are lost. Now if you consider that the 16% margin has an upfront cost of $100,000, but the 50% margin has an upfront cost of only $1,000, how do you think that effects the risk/reward ratio?
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade