April 7, 2008

Reality Shows Reveal Insight Into What Makes A Web TV Show Popular

Most of us hate reality TV by now. Sure, the first Survivor season was great, but after that they began to reproduce faster than bacteria in your kitchen sink. Now, every evening of TV features tens upon tens of different reality shows. But while they may suck on the regular tube, they tend to fare better on the web, beating out network series' that propel primetime TV rankings.

Just look at the Hitwise numbers for US broadcast network's websites above and the shows which receive the most interest. Reality TV pretty well monopolizes the market share. Why? Probably because reality TV tends to be very interactive, utilizing viewer feedback, voting, and other features that draw the viewer in, says Michael Learmonth from Silicon Valley Insider. And he makes another good point as well: as more and more ad dollars are siphoned to the internet, reality TV's success in cyberspace means that network's will continue to search for the next American Idol, so to speak. That means we won't be rid of reality TV anytime soon!