Second season is “acid test” for Snap/BGMI/CTV Degrassi online experiment

The second season of Degrassi: The Next Generation will be a make-or-break one for proving the value of its online corollary, says a senior executive with Snap Media Corp. VP Roma Khanna tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that the Degrassi online site continues to grow and that it will be up to the show’s partners at the end of the second season to determine whether its sophisticated Internet site is proving worthwhile. Signs thus far are hopeful. Through the summer months, registrations with the site have grown by 10,000 to 70,000 in total and Snap staff are receiving positive feedback from users, who are hitting the site with 2.5-3 million unique page views per month. "Degrassi’s a part of their summer vacation, which is really cool," says Khanna. "The overall thinking is that the site is a success, and that we could leave it status quo. But, instead of that, let’s take it to the next level. Let’s reward these kids for being a part of it. Let’s tie it closer (to the show). There was a real interest in getting content tied to the broadcast. We did that last season, and we did it really well. But we’re doing more of it now." In an effort to further boost audience participation with the show via the web, Snap will introduce a new community gaming concept to the site for the second season. Registered individuals are currently put into "home groups" on the site and designers are implementing a new friendly competition in which visitors try to win points for their groups. While the site has been very well received by users, Khanna says it’s premature to try to measure its value to partners CTV Inc. and Bell Globemedia Interactive. "The real feeling is that this season, in some ways, is the clincher. It’s the acid test of how we’re doing. "What we did in the first season is focus a lot on building audience, which we did – clearly, and those numbers keep going up. The second season, we’re looking at value a lot more…I think the surveys we’ve done with the audience clearly indicate that the kids who are online are more engaged with the Degrassi brand. "They’ve told us that they watch TV more because of the online…But the question is, how many new users are being brought to the TV show through the web and what does that mean in the long term in terms of engaging with the TV show?" Second season priorities will focus on building a business model for the site, something industry observers familiar with the high-profile experiment will be watching eagerly. "How do we turn it into a business model that allows the site to have a long-term life? The site can’t depend on its current financing structure forever. The Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund and the Telefilm Canada New Media Fund are big parts of the financing and…they most likely, almost certainly, won’t be in for the third season. It’s not part of their mandate. "So this site has to make money for the other people who are going to pay for it, like CTV and BGMI. The only reason they’re going to continue investing in it is if they actually see a return. That’s what we’re hoping for this season and that’s where we think we’re heading." One hopeful sign is recent news that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has picked up the show and web site, the first foreign broadcaster to do so. Since day one, Snap has touted its synchronization engine as a key to the web site’s success (CNM, Aug. 23/01). The system allows web content to be updated on a territorial basis in time with the television broadcast. The system is wholly owned by Snap. While Khanna is pleased that a first licensing deal has been reached, she says the company continues efforts to apply the technology to other broadcast properties.

Second season is “acid test” for Snap/BGMI/CTV Degrassi online experiment

News | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

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