TV + Internet + Reality = Suck?
Earlier this week details emerged about Yahoo!’s plan to reincarnate “The Runner,” a failed reality TV concept from 2001, in a new Web/TV combo approach.
Of course, with Yahoo! being involved, the focus wil be engaging online “viewers” before, during, and after the show.
Not to be outdone, CBS announced they will begin airing “micro-episodes” of ‘The Courier,’ which will be 40-second to one minute long and run during commercial breaks of some prime-time shows. If you miss it, you can have the pleasure of watching it on your cell phone or their Web site.
If you take the time to read the WSJ.com article, it brings up some good questions about the latest scramble of the tech titans to create their own content (or partner with someone else who has it) in an attempt to help the networks find their lost viewers.
Just remember that everyone is in trial mode with these efforts — the long-term viability of watching prime-time TV on your cell phone or 17-inch computer monitor remains to be seen.
What do you think? Will you take the time to follow a show online after watching it on TV?