How To Measure Success

How do we measure success for web series?

The easy answer is viewership.

But as many of us know, viewership is not as simple as other mediums.  It is also not the best indicator of quality.  A well marketed and positioned web series is destined to get more views than one with a smaller marketing budget and less connections.  Being attached to a company like Myspace or NBC is a great way to get tons of viewers, while being independently operated is far more difficult (ie Captain Blasto).

Therefore, I think there are many factors that determine success: Viewership, Longevity, Reviews, Media Attention, Awards, Innovation, and Income. (this is by no means a finalized or certifiable list of factors)

However, one web series seems to be gaining a lot of momentum and attention is Pink.  Originally independently created and funded, Pink has had many great successes.  The show was picked up by Generate, giving them a much larger fanbase and set of resources, which is already paying off.  Season 2 recently debuted and is gaining lots of attention.  Not only is the show seen on the main site, it can also be seen on Hulu, which only two other series can claim.  Pink was also picked up by the WB for their new online distribution site, sure to bring them even more views and success.  The figures of their signing are not available, but I would imagine negotiations of some form occurred.  The show’s most recent accomplishment, an advertisement in Times Square on one of their digital billboards.  (read the official blog).

I am interested to see what all these accomplishments bring for the show.  If nothing else, it will increase their visibility and hopefully their audience.  After that is anyone’s guess.