"No one said monetizing web television in 2009 would be easy — after all, traditional television revenue models are falling flat in this down economy too. Whether it’s an advertising rev-share with a web television network, a product integration deal, or a flat out sponsorship, the truth is, web television shows still haven’t found their legs when it comes to braving the Sea of Monetization, and unlike the film and television industries, no one is eager to boast about how much, or even if they’re making money in web television, so more often than not, creators don’t really know what to expect."...
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As a creator of a web series, the only advice I could suggest to maximize the potential of profiting from a web series, is to have a plan of action before the release of the series...and perhaps even before production begins.Once content has a hit the web, it's left to masses to decide it's future.
My series THE REALLY COOL SHOW has over 7 million views, and has made little to no actual profit from ad-rev sharing sites like blip.tv and revver. The show built it's audience at youtube and that's where the majority of hits/views comes from. We were on youtube before they began any of their AD rev-share programs and do not currently benefit (finacially) from our 7 million views. HOWEVER, from a creative and marketing standpoint, we have learned an endless amount about building an online audience, and the patterns of web video demographics and the 7 million (and growing daily) audience alone, has given our little show a voice. I strongly believe that with a plan of action set in place while in the pre-prod stages of a new series, the creator would have the max potential to profit from his/her online content. There are few examples where this is evident, as we are still in the early stages of real web tv. But I suspect more ideas and plans of action will arise as art tends to flourish in times of financial hardship.
Some ideas for a lo/no budget web series to maximize potential of gained revenue and the opportunity to profit can be simplifies to a few basic things:
1. Upload to as many ad-rev share web content channels/sites as possible.
2. Sponorship/Sell Ad space. *This plan may not allow you to use #1, because sometimes sponsorships or AD Space (specifically hosted on a site rather then in emeded into the content) would require exclusivety.
3.Sell Merchandise (shirts/hats/pins) and DVD's with content not avail online.
4. Subscrition only web site.
5.Pay-Per-Webisode (much like Itunes tracks).
These are just a few ideas. Keep in mind that a show with lo/no budgets, unknown talent and minimal marketing (including social networking) needs to have an audience for any of these to work. That's where the equation gets tricky. In order to build an audience, you need to have content and in order to maximize potential of finacial gain from content, you need an audience. How does a creator deliver a product to a customer who doesn't even know they want the product?
A. The product has to be awesome! Creativity and artistic integrity are key elements of content with the potential of longevity.
B. The customer has to be lacking something. Make something new! Give the audience something they've never seen before.
C. The product has to be accessible. Make it easy to get! Bring it to the audience.
D.Publically promote it. Just because it's web content, doesn't mean you can't bring it (or aspects of it) to a public (or live) audience!
*In the case of The Really Cool Show we developed and peformed live shows based on our online characters.
-Public screenings
-Promo Parties (find a cool bar/venue, bring them a crowd and find aa liquor sponsor and buy the boozr yourself) You don't even have to show the content to prove that it's totally hip and that the audience will have a good time watching it. Throw a party!
Now, these are all theories, but I would be curious how they work for you, so please feel free to join the discussion and share your ideas or experiences.
It's important to create a dialogue with your potential audience. So don't be afraid to reach out and ask "Thank you for watching, how can I help you?"
-Ryan Balas
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