Web series

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A web series is a series of programmes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone. A single instance of a web series program is called a webisode, a term which was given popularity by the show Battlestar Galactica in the delivery of their web series Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance, set between the events of Season 2 and Season 3 of their TV show.

The rise in popularity of web series can be seen as a result of the increasing availability of broadband and the improved video streaming technology.

There are several independent and low budget web series on the Internet (Helped along especially by the video hosting website YouTube), but more recently major television production companies are using the Internet as a means of promoting their TV shows as well as developing specific media and shows for the Internet.

While the popularity of web serials is continuing to rise, the concept itself isn't entirely new. Homicide: Second Shift was a pioneering Internet web series that tied into the TV series Homicide: Life on the Street. The web series started in 1997 and was ultimately cancelled due to financial constraints and technological restrictions.

Ten years on in 2007, actress and producer Amanda Tapping, best known for her role as Samantha Carter on the TV show Stargate SG-1, is involved in producing a new web series called Sanctuary, which will be made specially for online release and promises to give the viewer an interactive element.

[edit] Production and distribution

The rise in the popularity of the Internet and improvements in streaming video technology mean that producing and distributing a web series is relatively cheap by traditional standards and allows producers to reach a potentially global audience who can access the shows 24 hours a day.

The webisodes can be distributed directly from the producers' websites or online video sites such as YouTube.