By Kofi Outlaw
Monday, October 23, 2007, will forever mark the day that broadcast programming started down the slippery slopes to hell, as social networking site MySpace.com premiered its first original scripted production.
Entitled ROOMATES, the faux reality show will follow the exploits of a group of college roommates post-graduation,
airing three-minute webisodes exclusively on MySpace, from now until December 21st. The series will be sponsored exclusively by the Ford Motor Company, as a promotion for the 2008 Ford Focus.
The launch of ROOMATES comes on the heels of MySpace’s success premiering another scripted show, Michael Eisner’s PROM QUEEN, which debuted on the site but was broadcast all over the net. MySpaceTV will co-produce ROOMATES and the show will offer the unique opportunity for creative interactivity: MySpace users will be able to direct their suggestions for the series directly to producers, who will retain the creative control to mold the show according to viewer recommendation.
“Users can suggest storylines, and we will take input from viewers from Seattle to Stuttgart who will have say on where the show should go,” said MySpaceTV G.M. Jeff Berman.
With Berman at the helm, MySpaceTV will also be throwing its hat in the ring with the likes of NBC and Newscorp, as a central distribution partner with hulu.com, the purported “youtube killer” which is set to launch its Beta run in just a few days. By financing and producing its own original series, MySpace has clearly turned the corner toward breaking out of the user-generated and syndicated video arena. Through a site like hulu, MySpaceTV will have prime breeding ground for its future content, especially that with “upstream potential” to swim off the web and onto DVD, TV or even the Big screen.
“Our users are consuming an enormous amount of content from a range of sources,” Berman said.
Still, before you run you must walk, my son. Is ROOMATES any good? Rant and let us know if you’ve seen it. Seems tonight my MySpace page is going to be useful for more than spying on the people I went to high school with.
(Variety.com)
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117974452.html?categoryid=14&cs=1