Where Does the New Road Lead?

So while broadcasters and producers are still concerned over whether or not 2D is dead and arguing if photo-real CGI can work on television, where does this new road lead us? Well, the above image, from AOL's original web series princess Natasha, may be able to tell us something. Notice what Animation Magazine is hearing at MIPCOM:

Mobile TV growth is estimated to go from a $200 million biz to a $27 billion yearly biz by 2010. That growth will be at the expense of the traditional networks and the major movers will be kids/young people. A la carte screening is here and the Personal Medium Revolution is at hand. Plus, Internet viewing (i.e. AOLÂ?s Princess Natasha which became an Internet phenomenon and now is headed for Cartoon Network and major licensing deals.

-Peter Keefe, president and CEO, Earthworks Entertainment

Speaking about this same property, we find in an article on imediaconnection.com, this quote:

"We feel strongly that these deals represent a major shift in the way original internet programming is being perceived by the entertainment industry. With the increased adoption of broadband, the time is right for innovative online video programming to set a new bar," says Malcolm Bird, senior vice president and general manager, Kids and Teens Programming, AOL.

This leads me to think of the popularity of Ninjai on the internet. It was fresh, and most certainly different. It's the type of show that would set trends and not follow them. Aside from the obvious necessity of great stories and characters, new shows need to also have an edge. The age of clones will not last forever. Viewers with more and more outlets to choose from will move on quicker than ever before if the content is not truly innovative and captivating.

According to some at MIPCOM, direct to video is taking "a quantum lead over TV series in recent times in the U.S., Canada and Japan." But this is not the case for all genre of animation on DVD. Peter Keefe, president and CEO, Earthworks Entertainment said, "Hollywood is quietly wondering if the erosion in the DVD sales for big bucks CG fare is the result of too much of a good thing."

Still, there can be no doubt, looking at information published in trades like Video Business Weekly, that overall sales in the animated home video market are climbing rapidly. So who is benefiting from these sales? Anime, of course, plays a large role in this, but in the end, it's shows that offer something new and different that are being noticed, and they are being noticed in places other than the theatre and on television.

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