Future of SCIFI Shows online?

[Zeppster]

With the high quality of some of the Trek fan films and some others like the Firefly fan film that is coming out later this year that seems like it has pretty good quality. I don't know a lot about that one other than the trailers. But could the future of science fiction shows be in online formats instead of television. It seems like most of the TV sci fi stuff is so watered down somehow or it doesn't get the ratings or writing it deserves anymore. I really can't think of a great sci fi tv show in recent history that I've been able to stick with since about 5 or 6 season into the X-Files. But maybe that's just me.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Lost is a great show that I've stuck with for six seasons, so I guess it's just you.

I've yet to encounter an online-only series that is worth my time or bother to follow. If one happens to pop up, yall let me know.

But could the future of science fiction shows be in online formats instead of television.

Interesting question. But for online TV shows to just ape the non-interactive format of TV is useless; the point to the internet is that it is social and interactive. To me, that means that the future of entertainment will have a heavy social media/game element to it, and won't be structured much like TV shows.

Perhaps if TV as a medium dies off altogether, there will be non-interactive shows online for want of anyplace else to exist, but the real future of online entertainment is being developed in the gaming industry and social media sites right now.

Think of it this way: one excellent online entertainment site is TrekBBS. This place is entertaining in its own right. The future of entertainment is right under our noses.

 

[Broccoli]

With the high quality of some of the Trek fan films and some others like the Firefly fan film that is coming out later this year that seems like it has pretty good quality.

Depends on what you mean by high quality. While the writing is decent and the SFX are better than they should be, the acting is usually God awful that it makes it nearly impossible to watch. People complain about the acting on real TV. They need to check fan films out to get a broader perspective.

 

[Zeppster]

Lost is one of the biggest wastes of time ever. I sat for an entire day and watched the first season and wanted my day back. I don't understand how anyone can like that.

 

[Starbreaker]

Is that sarcasm? Why would you watch an entire season of a show you didn't like?

 

[Zeppster]

Is that sarcasm? Why would you watch an entire season of a show you didn't like?

Because of all the hype about it. Watched all of season one haven't seen a minute since.

 

[777]

Lost is one of the biggest wastes of time ever. I sat for an entire day and watched the first season and wanted my day back. I don't understand how anyone can like that.

To you, maybe, but not to the millions upon millions of fans worldwide. We will have to agree to disagree on the entertainment value of LOST.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Lost is one of the biggest wastes of time ever. I sat for an entire day and watched the first season and wanted my day back. I don't understand how anyone can like that.

Well if you don't like good shows, I can't help ya!

To you, maybe, but not to the millions upon millions of fans worldwide. We will have to agree to disagree on the entertainment value of LOST.

There are plenty of highly popular shows that are crap. That argument really proves nothing. All that matters, really, is that I like Lost. If other people fail to see the brilliance and entertainment value in it, hey it's their loss.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

It seems like most of the TV sci fi stuff is so watered down somehow or it doesn't get the ratings or writing it deserves anymore.

Zeppster I think this thread would be of interest to you.
Why is there no pure Sci-Fi on TV today?

could the future of science fiction shows be in online formats instead of television.

I considered it for a official Trek series 6.
provider for new Trek series as original series download

Budgets are based on advertising or home video sales/downloads. In the next 5-10 years downloads/on-demand will take over as a new model for many genres other than live-sports TV but I can't see the budgets being able to do it with just online web-series for good scifi writing and good production values.
I don't see things changing very much in 10 years for scifi on broadcast TV that isn't a police-procedural cross genre...

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Variety has an article up this week about this in general and the business aspect of it:

The TV biz is engaged in a delicate balancing act of adjusting how and where to program their shows on the Internet, fearful of undercutting their traditional sources of revenue -- the 30-second spot and cable subscriber and retransmission fees -- but fully aware that they don't want to miss out on consumers' ever-increasing thirst for watching shows online.

And with mobile devices, the iPad, HD TV sets and Internet-enabled Blu-rays making it all the easier to access the Web, the threat has spread to cable operators: They fear consumers will pull the plug altogether for the lower-priced alternative.

...drive distribution of movies and TV shows via broadband. That movement has become known as "over the top TV" because it aims to bypass traditional cable, satellite and telco operators to deliver programming directly to consumers.

Nielsen has said it will start delivering its so-called "three screen" ratings -- encompassing TV, online and mobile viewing -- starting early next year, though it will likely be some time before those numbers are accepted as currency by Madison Avenue.

which means 2013 or so for scifi shows to maybe takeoff without being on cable or network TV.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118019328.html?categoryId=14&cache=false

 

[23skidoo]

As usual the US is playing catch up to other parts of the world -- the BBC includes online viewing and time-shifting when it calculates ratings for shows like Doctor Who, and it's often resulted in substantial gains over the broadcast-only ratings.

That said, I don't want to watch shows online. I will watch a show on my computer if I've missed it and I have to watch a streaming version or download. But I really avoid that if I can. It's uncomfortable, there's still the issue of lag, and the picture quality sucks. I'd much rather watch a show on my 42-inch plasma, thank you very much.

That said, some people like wrecking their eyesight watching movies and shows on their tiny iPhone screens, or don't care about picture quality and are happy to make do with watching on their monitors or iPads. So certainly having online viewing as an option is fine by me, especially if it increases the chance of a show surviving (there are many series, from Firefly to Enterprise to Sarah Connor Chronicles to Heroes, that I am convinced would not have been cancelled had online viewing been taken into account). I just want the option to view the thing on a proper TV.

Alex

 

[Icemizer]

The problem with online fan projects will be the regularity with which they appear. In order to start to appear regularly they will have to start making money.(Writers, actors, set design) If they start making to much money whoever holds the license of the product(Fox, Paramount, NBc, etc.) will surely want to start getting their cut of the profits and when that happens they will also want a say in what is being seen by the public.
On the other hand if the fan projects dont come out with some regularity then they will never grow beyond what they are. Small curiosities viewed by a few people in a very specialized audience.

 

[FluffyUnbound]

I think there's little opportunity for the internet to allow for the production of shows, but the opportunity for the production of one-off movies is increasing.

It's already happening / happened in horror. Producing for direct-to-download on Netflix and the Amazon system, along with direct-to-DVD and direct-to-cable-PPV is becoming more and more of an option in that genre space. It's just a matter of getting sci-fi fans to be more accomodating of that production strategy, the way that horror fans are.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Didn't "Sanctuary" start out as a fan made web show and was picked up by Space or SyFy?? I've yet to watch it yet but I know it has it's niche core fan base and aside from Amanda Tapping's hellish attempt at a British accent it looks interesting.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Sanctuary

Didn't "Sanctuary" start out as a fan made web show and was picked up by Space or SyFy??

details:

http://trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=3730748&postcount=14

 

[AviTrek]

Re: Sanctuary

I suggest everyone read this post by a SVP at SyFy about the Internet and TV before deciding that the Internet is the future or that the Internet is killing Sci Fi tv.

Short story, online revenue is still a rounding error, so counting those viewers just don't make much sense.