could/should Stargate have went to the Web?

[majorsal]

i don't know if i'm putting this info in the right place (or if there's some thread that already exists for it), but...

two soup operas are going from canceled to web-only shows. when i read this, i immediately thought, 'why not stargate?!'.

here's the new story about the soaps: http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/mustsee-web...e-online--3303

thoughts?

[Inquisitor]

As long as it's available in all other countries and the quality of the CGI doesn't decrease, and perhaps even no recasting, I think it'd be great. Do they still have the sets for SGU?

[Lythisrose]

As long as it's available in all other countries and the quality of the CGI doesn't decrease, and perhaps even no recasting, I think it'd be great. Do they still have the sets for SGU?

Nope, it was all was sold off a few weeks ago.

Re the soaps being online, still wondering how that will be profitable. Interesting trend though.

[Thunderstorm]

Hmmm ... interesting twist for the soaps. It will be interesting to see if it lasts. I suppose if you can find someone to buy the rights and fund it like these soaps did then go for it.

The problem is as always rights and funding.

[Lauriel]

The problem is as always rights and funding.

Ditto. The funding is a huge issue. At the moment solely web-based shows are too untried, and nowhere near financially viable for the cost per ep of SG.

And copyright and digital rights are such a minefield at the moment, that there is no way any producer is going to greenlight a project like that.

I'd love it if this was an option, but realistically, there is no chance of it actually happening, unfortunately.

[Calluna]

I really wonder who/if that soap idea is going to work. If it successfully moves online with minimal changes to cast, production values, sets, length of ep etc and keeps an audience then online original material will take a great leap forward. I'm kinda being sceptical at the moment though. And whilst online viewing is clearly the future, for every wildly successful "The Guild", there are hundreds of webseries that disappear without a trace.

As for Stargate/SGU, no chance at this stage I think. The rights would be hugely complicated and the budget would be way way too high, especially as Brad Wright already tried and was unable to secure funding for two wrap up movies. Didn't Sanctuary have to move to TV because the webisodes were too expensive for it to continue? And that show is still considered cheap in comparison to Stargate. Syfy's online originals are about 10 minutes per episode and both cost thousands to make, not millions.

[Artie]

I think the issue would be the sheer expense. SGU was one of the most expensive shows they've ever done, and so it had to have a viewership of millions in order to justify itself.

The key, I think, is making quality shows that don't have to appeal to millions but can be supported by a niche audience. With the soaps, they have a fanbase that's very committed, as Stargate does, but they're also so much cheaper to make.

[KEK]

There just isn't enough money in it. The best a genre show can hope for is that it pulls enough viewers, or convinces enough people to give it a go on TV, like Sanctuary did. At least for the time being anyway...

[jsonitsac]

A web based sci-fi show, on the type of budget needed to to SGU well, just doesn't seem plausible to me.

[Thunderstorm]

Also Soaps are probably never going to be released on DVD or going into syndication so they don't have to deal with how the show is viewed on the web because piracy won't be much of an issue.

[Ben 'Teal'c would WIN!!' Noble]

Nope.

[majorsal]

Also Soaps are probably never going to be released on DVD or going into syndication so they don't have to deal with how the show is viewed on the web because piracy won't be much of an issue.

maybe don't put stargate on dvds anymore. viewing choices are changing so much, but the qualifications to judge continuing a series are behind the times.

i know i don't really know what i'm talking about, i'm only speaking from my heart. i never saw the desire for stargate to go down, just the dissatisfaction on how it was being presented.

i feel there's been so many mistakes along the way, b/c the ptb got tired and was in need of some inspiration. but that inspiration for them didn't exactly equal what the fans appreciated.

maybe let stargate start over on the web, in small ways, small doses, to test the waters. just an idea...

[SeaBee]

The trouble with web based programmes is that there are too many people who expect everything on the internet to be free. As soon as an ep came out it would be illegally shared all over the world and there would be no money to keep the show going. This problem was one of the reasons Sanctuary came off the web and onto our sets. Too many people were watching for free. Modern Sci Fi shows are expensive to produce, with audiences expecting state of the art CGI and special effects and there has to be a profit in it.

The soaps mentioned in the article will be a lot cheaper to produce as web based shows, but I suspect that even they will struggle to keep the money rolling in, once the eps start hitting "You Tube" etc.