YAHOO! Drop Plans for Reality Shows for the Internet

In the NY Times, Saul Hansell writes that YAHOO! will drop plans to produce original reality shows and series programs for the internet. Could this be the next distribution market for Independent film makers, video bloggers or web users?

"After proclaiming grand plans to bring elaborately produced sitcoms, talk shows and other television-style programs to the Internet, the head of Yahoo's Media Group said yesterday that he was sharply scaling back those efforts. He said the group would shift its focus to content acquired from other media companies or submitted by users."

The biggest potential news for independent film makers is the trend for web sites to seek independent content:

"With advertisers moving large parts of their budgets online, the market for content, created by professionals, bloggers and individual users, is expanding rapidly — as is the competition. Major media companies are developing video-based programming for the Internet. Myspace.com, purchased last year by the News Corporation, has become a major site based on user-contributed content. Many start-ups, like youtube.com, seek to follow suit."

Will websites evolve that pay significant fees for original films or episodic series?
This is the next step in web video content as advertising. Consider the YAHOO! produced Richard Bangs Adventures, a travel adventure content portal that features both video and text about travel adventures. The most intriguing episode in this series is the 6 day search for pirate's treasure in Panama. We follow the travellers as they chop through the jungle to an 80 foot pit that may be the final resting place for pirate treasure. See the Viper's Pit video.

Have you sold a film or series to a web site for a fee? Let's hear about it.
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