• by October 28, 2005

Lately we've been noticing the increasing amount of original programming on the Web. Of course "original content" can mean anything from entertainment fare to news, user-generated blogs and animated shorts. In some circles, it also means comprehensive Web programs that complement episodic TV shows relying heavily on participation from viewers. Think about it for a moment.

Yahoo! has Pepsi Smash (www.pepsismash.com), which extends the popularity of the former WB summer TV concert series with rich, full-bodied Webcasts. Then, the Internet giant also recently debuted "Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone" featuring Sites, a war correspondent straight out of central casting, who is traveling around the world filing daily multimedia reports from war-torn regions like Somalia. Yahoo! also added nine finance columnists to its stable.

Google, via www.video.google.com, seems to be trying its hand at original programming--mostly through user-generated home videos and documentaries. It's also been making noises lately about offering TV shows to consumers on an on-demand basis and for a fee. MSN has not, we have noticed, offered original fare, instead preferring to license content from the likes of JibJab. It also collaborated with the CBS show "Rock Star: INXS" on integrating unique elements of the show online, wirelessly, and otherwise, offering a full Web-centric complement to "Rock Star." AOL, though, appears to have the biggest cache of original content, which is growing all the time. Take, for example, "Project Freshman," (www.projectfreshman.com), a reality series for the Web that portrays six freshmen and their adjustment to college life. AOL is also on the cusp of debuting a show whose focus is celebrity news and gossip. Dubbed "TMZ," it will be hosted by Harvey Levin, formerly of TV's "Celebrity Justice."

One of the most engaging original shows AOL has mounted thus far is "The Biz: The Battle for the Best Job in Music," (www.thebiz.com), an online reality series that debuted Oct. 18, in which eight contestants compete for a job to run their own record label at Warner Music Group. The idea was hatched by Lyor Cohen, chairman and CEO of U.S. Recorded Music for Warner Music, and Kevin Conroy, executive vice president of the AOL Media Network. "The Biz" marks the first time AOL has done a reality show for the Web that's programmed daily, in three to five-minute Webisodes. Fairly ambitious, eh?

Now, the Minute is barely up to date on her favorite TV shows, so we get a gold star for tuning in quickly to absorb what's going down with these music industry wannabes. The contestants, who are charged with creating a label from scratch, face a series of challenges in each episode. And just like facing The Donald or Martha, they are assessed by Lyor, who decides whether they will be promoted to the next level or not.

Today's episode shows six managers (Kelly, Greg, Yancey, Rhiann, Steven, and Malena) being rewarded for the promotion they devised. We don't know how the three finalists, the interns, will react. We also don't know what the reward will be, but the Minute has it on good authority that it's a biggie.

What's fascinating, at least to us, is the way in which the content is presented and the degree to which product placement is used. Sprint is the presenting sponsor of "The Biz," and the contestants are shown using Sprint phones; the company is also sponsoring a voting site.

On the site, there are quizzes to take, photo galleries to view, artist bios to access; and a glossary of music business lingo. The advertisers are featured in 15-second pre-roll ads, banners, and buttons, and brand the frame around the video player. We have yet to hear data concerning the number of impressions or metrics on viewer engagement time. It's a new kind of experience, it's on the Web, are you?