The short-form serial thriller keeps inching its way toward mainstream consumption, as Amazon.com's
Why is something that was delivered for free online now being snapped up, in an ad-free full-season set, for $9.99? It may be that Amazon, the exclusive seller of the entire series, is promoting the purchase on its Unbox landing page. It may be that consumers are beginning to approach online shows the same way they do network broadcasts, snapping up full seasons on DVD.
At the very least, this should give other clip-culture scripted hits like Lonelygirl15 and Chad Vader an incremental revenue stream to consider, beyond ad revenue sharing, product placements, and merchandise.
Prom Queen is the handiwork of Vuguru, the Michael Eisner-backed company that also put out last year's Sam Has 7 Friends.
Even though many of the shows air on several video-sharing sites, they usually have a hub. Lonelygirl15 started out as a sensation on Google's
With Amazon touting its exclusive rights to sell Prom Queen -- or charge viewers $3.99 for a 30-day download -- don't be surprised to see others jump on the bandwagon. Exclusive sales through Apple's iTunes, or a freebie stream for Netflix
So go ahead and check out Prom Queen, if you want to watch five nominees stop at nothing -- even murder -- to score the coveted prom-night tiara. However, there's no mystery when it comes to short-form serial thrillers. At a time when content is king, original online video series are being crowned as queen.
Bite-sized snippets of related Foolishness:
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Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz is ready to officially classify himself as a clip-culture junkie. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story, save for Netflix. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.