As the movie and music industries continue their legal assault on peer-to-peer networks, one TV show is embracing file sharing as a distribution outlet -- and as a plot point.
"The Scene" is the first TV show created specifically for P2P distribution. The six-episode series about a young movie pirate has generated more than a million downloads.
"The Scene," named for the core group of pirates who first put studio movies online, embraces high-tech aesthetics as well. While an actor can be seen in one corner of the screen, most of the action takes place on a computer screen via IM conversations, e-mails and Web sites.
Show was produced by several execs from the Jun Group, a consultancy that helps companies promote content via P2P. "The Scene" is making Jun a small profit via a sponsorship that runs before the video and is worked into the plot.
"We're committed to this as a business," says writer/helmer and Jun Group partner
Mitchell Reichgut. "We can make money on it and prove the value of a new way to distribute content."
Reichgut and partner
Bruce Forest are hopeful "The Scene" will show that a combination of sponsorships and the benefit of zero distribution costs can make file sharing a respectable media business -- not just a haven for piracy.
Best of all, they don't have to monitor Internet traffic with a nervous eye like studio execs. The more times "The Scene" shows up on Kazaa, the more money they make.
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