Full Seasons On Netflix!

The way we experience a show’s progression and story arch has not changed much since the advent of television. While technology has improved the way we access the programs, we must still wait a week to watch new episodes. This model works for many shows that have had full seasons without any major fluctuations in ratings, but for other shows it may prove detrimental. This Sunday, May 26, Arrested Development will have a chance to test the new model for Netflix, where full seasons will become available all at once. 

 

Arrested Development began airing in November of 2003 on Fox to rave reviews from critics and a little over six million viewers. In the show’s third season, the numbers significantly dropped for the final episode to about three million viewers. Despite a myriad of rumors regarding the show’s future, Arrested Development was cancelled and essentially put on the back burner until recently when the show’s creators and Netflix decided to release a final, full season exclusively on the Netflix website. Now the question is, will Arrested Development succeed with this new business model? I am leaning towards absolutely. According to Netflix, television fans enjoy what they call “Binge-Viewing” where audiences spend hours watching full seasons in one sitting. This binge-viewing model is ideal for Arrested Development because while they did not experience a great run on network television, their cult audience revealed themselves by contributing to the explosion of DVD sales the show experienced. Those DVD sales show that there is a huge audience for the show that may actually prefer experiencing the opportunity to watch the full season whenever and however they desire.  

Netflix has experienced great success with other programs previously released under this business model. Most notably the show House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey, was reportedly a success when its first full season was released in early 2013. There is no telling how well House of Cards actually performed, since Netflix won’t release the official numbers, but it did well enough to earn a second season which signifies that people enjoy binging on full seasons on Netflix.

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The Second Screen Experience

Midway through any given television show, I find myself looking at my phone and having to rewind the program to see what I missed. Usually, the culprit is Viggle. Viggle has been a part of my routine for about five months and provides its users with a unique way to earn rewards while watching TV. For example, if Batman Begins were airing on ABC Family right now, you could check in a-la “Shazam”, and wait for the points to rack up. If it was a featured program, you could answer trivia for extra points, which could then be redeemed for prizes, like the $25 Best Buy Gift Certificate I received last month. Viggle is not alone in providing a second screen for television viewers, the Team Coco App also provides extra content synchronized with the broadcast of every episode. The content could range from extra videos to behind the scenes content. Second screen experiences are on the rise and can provide great ways for increased exposure to your market and a new way to sell ad-space.

 
 The Guardian posted an article providing statistics relating to the “second screen.” They provided several resources outlining some of the statistics for example, a study released in October 2012 by IMRG (UK’s retail industry association) that said 80% of smartphone owners used their device to browse for a product after seeing it on TV. 81% of tablet owners and 73% of laptop owners also use their device while watching television. These numbers are relatively large, so it doesn’t surprise me that Samsung has recently acquired a second-screen start up in order to develop this particular bit of technology. This, in my humble opinion, will improve the television experience. Our species has been multitasking since even before the iPhone, it’s about time we jazzed up the television watching experience. I’m ready for minority report to become a reality...sans "Pre-cogs".

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TORRENT The Movie

A while ago I posted a gif I made for a friend's movie. 

..::TORRENT::..

A reminder.

 Well, finally the movie has begun the process of allocating funds for production. Since this is an independent production we need help raising money. The donations come with free merchandise depending on the amount donated.

I have read the script and feel that it is a great and innovative film. Filled with everything you want in a sci-fi movie.

I hope that you see the potential in this film as I do. The guys producing it are hardworking and will definitely work their asses off to provide you with a great product worthy of the money invested.

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