December 26, 2007 4:00 AM PST

Can NBC do for 'Quarterlife' what YouTube couldn't?

Can NBC do for 'Quarterlife' what YouTube couldn't?
Related Stories

Eisner's start-up allies with MySpace on 'Prom Queen'

March 29, 2007
Related Blogs

MySpaceTV to debut original show, 'Quarterlife,' in November


September 12, 2007

MySpace series 'Quarterlife' unveiled


October 19, 2007

MySpace original series 'Roommates' debuts Monday


October 21, 2007

Some episodes of this drama, touted as the first TV-quality production for the Web, have yet to attract 100,000 video views.
The New York Times

The story "Can NBC do for 'Quarterlife' what YouTube couldn't?" published December 26, 2007 at 4:00 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

Content from The New York Times expires after 7 days.

14 comments

Join the conversation!
Add your comment (Log in or register)
More proof
More proof that NBC just "doesn't get it".
Attacking their customers at the highly successful download
service iTunes, alienating millions of existing viewers.

Setting up an online only, ad driven site to deliver content.
Shows delivered through web based streamed services like
YouTube resulting in near microscopic figures.

What part of "We, the Viewers, want to DOWNLOAD CONTENT
ONTO OUR COMPUTERS" doesn't NBC understand?

Millions upon millions of people have PROVEN that they are
willing TO GIVE NBC MONEY in exchange for a product, yet they
seem hell bent for leather in ramming web based, streamed only
content down our throats, DESPITE the fact that NO ONE WANTS
TO WATCH IT IN THAT MANNER!

Firing the people making these wacky decisions at NBC would be
a Really Good Thing.
Posted by GGGlen (493 comments )
Reply Link Flag
More proof
More proof that NBC just "doesn't get it".
Attacking their customers at the highly successful download
service iTunes, alienating millions of existing viewers.

Setting up an online only, ad driven site to deliver content.
Shows delivered through web based streamed services like
YouTube resulting in near microscopic figures.

What part of "We, the Viewers, want to DOWNLOAD CONTENT
ONTO OUR COMPUTERS" doesn't NBC understand?

Millions upon millions of people have PROVEN that they are
willing TO GIVE NBC MONEY in exchange for a product, yet they
seem hell bent for leather in ramming web based, streamed only
content down our throats, DESPITE the fact that NO ONE WANTS
TO WATCH IT IN THAT MANNER!

Firing the people making these wacky decisions at NBC would be
a Really Good Thing.
Posted by GGGlen (493 comments )
Reply Link Flag
"eight minute chunks"
The small dribbles of content prolly explains exactly why it's received little attention. Incidentally, it's about as large as a bit of hour-long TV programming can get before the commercials hit (if you're lucky - it seems like things drop to 5 minutes max in prime-time nowadays).

If the guy wants more viewers, how about a story that actually takes awhile to tell, and not something that was built to be apportioned at lowest-common-denominator sized attention spans.

I doubt anyone is really going to take him seriously until he starts releasing 20, 40 or even hour-long segments (no, not "one hour minus commercials", I mean 60 minutes of continuous content).

I haven't seen this particular show, but I do know full well that part of television's problem has more to do with set-piece stories dispensed in niblet-sized chunks than it has to do with the media its distributed on, or the source of said story.

/P
Posted by Penguinisto (5063 comments )
Reply Link Flag
TV in small chuncks actually work in some markets...
Take Japan for example. Since 1964, government-funded NHK televises a 15-minute morning drama. Each series lasts for six months, and airs six days a week (comes out to about 156 episodes.) The episodes air at 8:30am JST.

The morning drama concept has been proven successful - as throughout its 40-plus year history it has beaten out most prime-time dramas. Like NBC, NHK is currently pursuing streaming their shows over the Internet. If they were to stream the morning dramas, I think they would be a huge success - as the episodes have a huge BitTorrent following.

I think the problem with NBC is the fact that portal-based media sites like YouTube and Veoh work better. What the TV networks are trying to do is emulate the TV channel structure - where you must surf to a different web site for each network. I think a neutral portal like YouTube works better, where it becomes a one-stop shop for everything. I think the Web 2.0 is creating the concept where your average Internet user prefer to shrink the number of sites he surfs. In the earlier days of the Internet, it was fun bouncing around from site to site. Nowadays, surfers do not have the patience and/or time to be searching for content.

One-stop shop! That's what people want.
Posted by groink_hi (239 comments )
Link Flag
"eight minute chunks"
The small dribbles of content prolly explains exactly why it's received little attention. Incidentally, it's about as large as a bit of hour-long TV programming can get before the commercials hit (if you're lucky - it seems like things drop to 5 minutes max in prime-time nowadays).

If the guy wants more viewers, how about a story that actually takes awhile to tell, and not something that was built to be apportioned at lowest-common-denominator sized attention spans.

I doubt anyone is really going to take him seriously until he starts releasing 20, 40 or even hour-long segments (no, not "one hour minus commercials", I mean 60 minutes of continuous content).

I haven't seen this particular show, but I do know full well that part of television's problem has more to do with set-piece stories dispensed in niblet-sized chunks than it has to do with the media its distributed on, or the source of said story.

/P
Posted by Penguinisto (5063 comments )
Reply Link Flag
TV in small chuncks actually work in some markets...
Take Japan for example. Since 1964, government-funded NHK televises a 15-minute morning drama. Each series lasts for six months, and airs six days a week (comes out to about 156 episodes.) The episodes air at 8:30am JST.

The morning drama concept has been proven successful - as throughout its 40-plus year history it has beaten out most prime-time dramas. Like NBC, NHK is currently pursuing streaming their shows over the Internet. If they were to stream the morning dramas, I think they would be a huge success - as the episodes have a huge BitTorrent following.

I think the problem with NBC is the fact that portal-based media sites like YouTube and Veoh work better. What the TV networks are trying to do is emulate the TV channel structure - where you must surf to a different web site for each network. I think a neutral portal like YouTube works better, where it becomes a one-stop shop for everything. I think the Web 2.0 is creating the concept where your average Internet user prefer to shrink the number of sites he surfs. In the earlier days of the Internet, it was fun bouncing around from site to site. Nowadays, surfers do not have the patience and/or time to be searching for content.

One-stop shop! That's what people want.
Posted by groink_hi (239 comments )
Link Flag
youtube is not the right audience
The problem is that all online video is lumped together regardless of genre.
Youtube is not meant for, and the audience of that site, is not interested in
scripted programming. One reason is the people on that site are more interested
in amateur train wreck video. It is a forum for voyeurs.
The whole cnn/youtube debate demonstrated the train wreck nature of youtube.
Horrible!

The other problem is why would I watch a high quality scripted production on
youtube when the video quality is so poor? There are much better sites for video.
As for audience size, just like network programming, internet TV programming
will need to be hyped in the same way to reach a large audience. I don't think you
can expect to draw large numbers without the hype to cut through the clutter.

Also, you have to have a show people want to watch. i looked at quarterlife and it
was a take or leave it kind of thing. I bet if Disney put a special High School
Musical 2 episode on the net, I bet it would be a huge hit. Just because it is
scripted programming on the net doesn't mean it will be successful. It has to be
good also.
Posted by dsstroud (25 comments )
Reply Link Flag
youtube is not the right audience
The problem is that all online video is lumped together regardless of genre.
Youtube is not meant for, and the audience of that site, is not interested in
scripted programming. One reason is the people on that site are more interested
in amateur train wreck video. It is a forum for voyeurs.
The whole cnn/youtube debate demonstrated the train wreck nature of youtube.
Horrible!

The other problem is why would I watch a high quality scripted production on
youtube when the video quality is so poor? There are much better sites for video.
As for audience size, just like network programming, internet TV programming
will need to be hyped in the same way to reach a large audience. I don't think you
can expect to draw large numbers without the hype to cut through the clutter.

Also, you have to have a show people want to watch. i looked at quarterlife and it
was a take or leave it kind of thing. I bet if Disney put a special High School
Musical 2 episode on the net, I bet it would be a huge hit. Just because it is
scripted programming on the net doesn't mean it will be successful. It has to be
good also.
Posted by dsstroud (25 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Quaterlife doesn't understand the internet.
I watched the pilot episode of Quaterlife on youtube and I really didn't like it. It was one of those shows, that were I watching on television, I would have guessed the people who made it have no understanding about how the internet works. Since I was watching it on the internet, I KNEW they had no idea.
Posted by zgreenwell (153 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Quaterlife doesn't understand the internet.
I watched the pilot episode of Quaterlife on youtube and I really didn't like it. It was one of those shows, that were I watching on television, I would have guessed the people who made it have no understanding about how the internet works. Since I was watching it on the internet, I KNEW they had no idea.
Posted by zgreenwell (153 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Quarterlife will get powered by the new wimax networks
Sites such as Quarterlife with high quality video also need good wireless connectivity.
We should see the launch of XOHM in 2008 giving a new orientation to sites such as these.
Posted by Amitabhkumar (11 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Quarterlife will get powered by the new wimax networks
Sites such as Quarterlife with high quality video also need good wireless connectivity.
We should see the launch of XOHM in 2008 giving a new orientation to sites such as these.
Posted by Amitabhkumar (11 comments )
Reply Link Flag
 

Join the conversation

Add your comment

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. Click here to review our Terms of Use.

Inside CNET News

1-2 of 12

Scroll Left Scroll Right

What's Hot

Discussions

Shared

RSS Feeds

Add headlines from CNET News to your homepage or feedreader.

Markets

Market news, charts, SEC filings, and more

Related quotes

Dow Jones Industrials (-0.83%) -107.55 12,782.91
S&P 500 (-0.74%) -10.00 1,341.95
NASDAQ (-0.61%) -17.89 2,909.34
CNET TECH (-0.45%) -9.27 2,034.65
  Symbol Lookup