Is It Possible For TV Producers To Make Money Online?

Two well known TV producers, Steve Levitan and Lloyd Braun, discussed whether or not TV makers would be able to make money online over the internet at D8, and came up with different answers.

Steve Levitan, co-creator of “Modern Family” expressed his general scepticism at the ability to make money online, while the real money remained on TV. However, Lloyd Braun, formerly of Yahoo, but who now produces both websites and TV shows is of the contrary opinion. Braun believes that it is possible to earn extra money.

In support of his opinion, Braun added that almost all TV producers focussed first on the TV and then on other things thereafter. However, in the future, Braun believes that TV shows will be regarded as brands, and that they will focus more on how they distribute in various ways. On the other hand, Levitan said that he was not certain of this fact and that there was a need to balance what to put online versus what drives the shows’ viewership, which he feels is the most important factor.

Twitter and the internet can help build a brand, but if you spend too much time focussing on the website and other content, “you’ll take your eye off the ball” and the show itself might falter, and that’s the worst thing that can happen, Levitan said.

Braun attributed this to the fact that producers are still judged by the ratings of the TV shows when aired. However, he added, they will be judged on everything around the TV show in the long run.

Levitan expressed his ambivalence about Hulu, saying that it had taken him a long time to discover that top episodes on Hulu had a viewership of about 2 million. He was however disappointed to find that no credit went to the producers. It would really boost ratings if the 2 million viewers watched the show when it aired. He expressed fears that Hulu would reduce the chances of networks being able to pay for the production costs of expensive shows.

The networks have no choice but to support Hulu, Braun said, otherwise people will be pirating the content.

While Braun seemed much more positive about internet content, Levitan on the other hand said that at present, doing things only for the internet (such as on “Funny or Die”) were mere hobbies than avenues to earn extra money. On the contrary, scripted television doesn’t work on the internet or mobile, Braun said, but instead people were on the look out for other types of entertainment that work online. Braun talked about developing Wonderwall and Glow for the internet and how this was developing a larger audience.

Levitan feels that at present, the most talented people want to work on traditional media and can make money online as this is where both the best talent and the money are.

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