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Monty Python Banks On the Long Tail Via YouTube
JTRipper writes "Monty Python seems to have done the right thing. Instead of issuing take down notices of their videos on YouTube, they are doing it better themselves with their own YouTube channel. They are putting all their clips (including snips from their movies) up in a decent resolution, with the only caveat being a link to buying the movies and TV episodes from Amazon."
They are putting all their clips (including snips from their movies) up in a decent resolution ...
Um, that's kind of misleading. There are 24 clips as of this posting. That's not to say there isn't more to come but the channel description clearly states:
What's more, we're taking our most viewed clips and uploading brand new HQ versions.
Their announcement video shows more video clips than they have up right now (man with a recorder up his nose from And Now for Something Completely Different, etc) so hopefully there's more to come. I'm a bit disappointed the general populace doesn't watch The Flying Circus more often ... it's a shame every time I see a banana at a corporate function I have the urge to hand it to someone while instructing them to "come at me with that banana like you really mean it!" And they just continue to treat me like I'm insane.
And where's The Crimson Permanent Assurance (opening feature to The Meaning of Life)?! That single skit was probably more expensive than all other Python works combined--and a gold mine for office humor to send to your coworkers!
My work here is dung.
A british comedy skit show from the 60's and 70's that was very controversial and revolutionary in its comedic delivery for the time. Considered by many to be one of the best comedy shows of all time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, watch it -- I'm huge!
The "Long Tail" is a retail concept. Normally, business make 80% of their profit/sales off 20% of the items that they sell. Which is why "Big" retails are well stocked with the latest Hollywood film, but not that obscure DVD with British humor. The Internet is supposed to change this. Because adding an additional piece to inventor does not take up an additional retail "space" a store can offer unlimited holdings. So one would expect that fewer sales of the "Big" hits and more sales of the more odd titles. It's is a nice theory, but it not true. 80% of Amazon's sales come from just 20% of their inventory. I mean, sure, they have a much larger inventory then most stores, but they don't expect the long tail. The numbers are bigger but the ratio stays the same. I have always wondered if Apple's Itunes has escaped into the long tail.
I'm afraid you'll have to do with the laughter.
The PBS model doesn't really even work for PBS. When I worked at WGBH in Boston, I got to see the budget numbers - about 90% of the budget comes from the corporate sponsors. Those commitments are arranged and planned for years in advance.
The remainder of the budget comes from "viewers like you," and since it's impossible to predict those donation amounts in advance, it goes only into a discretionary spending fund. Every project plan has a few "would be nice" items in case there's enough in that discretionary fund to build them by the time the project is being produced.
The South Park episodes online DO have commercials, albeit only one at a time. Also, the newest episodes are posted the DAY after they air, are available for some days, then disabled for a week, then enabled again.
So really, go and watch yesterday's episode, today.
Unfortunately the only episode on the official South Park site is called Sorry England and the animation is worse than usual.
"Welcome to our world. We are the wasted youth. And we are the future too." Yes, I know these are stupid lyrics.